FY 1998 ESTIMATES BUDGET SUMMARY OFFICE OF SPACE … · 1997. 2. 13. · * New Millennium 43,500 48,600 75,700 ... Mission operations and data analysis 563,600 583,300 507,400 Supporting

SCIENCE, AERONAUTICS AND TECHNOLOGY FY 1998 ESTIMATES BUDGET SUMMARY

OFFICE OF SPACE SCIENCE

SUMMARY OF RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS

Space Science FY 1996 FY 1997 FY 1998

* Advanced x-ray astrophysics facility (AXAF) 237,600 178,600 92,200

* Space Infrared Telescope Facility -- -- 81,400

* Relativity mission 51,500 59,600 45,600

* Cassini 191,500 89,600 9,000

* Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics andDynamics (TIMED) -- 18,200 48,200

Payload and instrument development 25,900 16,900 12,300

* Explorers 132,200 125,000 142,700

* Discovery 102,200 76,800 106,500

* Mars surveyor 111,900 90,000 139,700

* New Millennium 43,500 48,600 75,700

Advanced space technology 143,300 132,000 151,200

Mission operations and data analysis 563,600 583,300 507,400

Supporting research and technology 239,400 246,000 311,200

Suborbital program 88,000 64,100 84,400

Launch services 245,300 240,600 236,300

Total 2,175,900 1,969,300 2,043,800

* Total Cost information is provided in the Special Issues section

Distribution of Program Amount by Installation FY 1996 FY 1997 FY 1998

Johnson Space Center 3,600 3,600 4,100

Kennedy Space Center 5,100 9,000 9,800

Marshall Space Flight Center 356,200 307,900 202,000

Ames Research Center 94,400 71,000 79,400

Langley Research Center 8,600 9,000 15,100

Lewis Research Center 23,200 27,400 26,400

Goddard Space Flight Center 764,800 842,000 901,700

Jet Propulsion Laboratory 753,900 655,300 717,300

Headquarters 166,100 44,100 88,000

Total 2,175,900 1,969,300 2,043,800

SCIENCE, AERONAUTICS AND TECHNOLOGY FISCAL YEAR 1998 ESTIMATES

OFFICE OF SPACE SCIENCE

PROGRAM GOALS

The mission of the Office of Space Science (OSS) is to seek answers to fundamentalquestions about:

The Galaxy and the Universe: What is the universe? How did it come into being? Howdoes it work? What is its ultimate fate? The Origin and Evolution of Planetary Systems: What was the origin of the Sun, theEarth, and the planets, and how did they evolve? Are there worlds around other stars?What are the ultimate fates of planetary systems? The Origin and Distribution of Life in the Universe: How did life on Earth arise? Didlife arise elsewhere in the universe?

Many of the primary products of space science are intangible: knowledge and discoveries

Morover, new space science discoveries offer other tangible returns: for example, it may soonbe possible to characterize "space weather" and its dependence on the Sun's variability. Violentspace "storms," which can profoundly affect space- and Earth-based communication andtransportation systems, may soon be predicted by means of Sun and solar wind monitors nowunder development, coupled with advanced theoretical and empirical models of the coupling ofthe Sun to the Earth. These intangible and tangible benefits attest to the value of space scienceto our Nation and the world.

STRATEGY FOR ACHIEVING GOALS

Science

The Space Science program acquires knowledge and makes discoveries by exploring. Weexplore physically, by means of space probes and planetary landers and orbiters. We exploreremotely, by means of telescopes and other observatories, in Earth or heliocentric orbit,observing the Sun, the solar system, and the distant universe.

Space Science is exploring in order to answer questions that are as old as human thought, yetrecent discoveries have generated new excitement about the origin and evolution of theUniverse, and about the possibility of life elsewhere in, or beyond, our solar system. InOctober, 1996, three dozen biologists, planetary scientists, astronomers, and cosmologistswere assembled in Washington, D.C. by NASA and the National Research Council at therequest of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In a workshop format,the group considered emerging directions in space science and identified "Origins" as aunifying theme for future initiatives. The conclusions of the group, some of which aresummarized below, were presented to the Vice President at a symposium on December 11,1996, at the White House. The complete findings of the group are available on the WorldWide Web via http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/oss, under the Space Summit link.

The study of Origins follows a 15-billion-year-long chain of events. The chain begins at thebirth of the universe at the Big Bang, moves through the formation of the chemical elementsand of the galaxies, stars and planets, continues through the mixing of chemicals and energythat cradled life on Earth, before reaching the earliest self-replicating organisms and then theprofusion of life.

For the first time in history, we have achieved the level of understanding and technicalcapability necessary to fill in "missing links" along the chain of Origins by exploring on theEarth and outward in space, in the present and backward in time. Recent discoveries fromdiverse disciplines attest that life is remarkably hardy and that each step in the chain of Originsoccurred surprisingly quickly. Discoveries in just the past few years provide the first scientificbasis for believing that life may be widespread in the universe, in our solar system andbeyond. We also have a new comprehension of the development of the

universe, its constituent galaxies and stars, the number and variety of planetary systems, andthe processes that shape them. To fill in the final links, we need to understand more about theprocesses leading to the origin of life, about habitats suitable for life, and about the origins ofthe building blocks of the universe.

Understanding of the final links is within reach. Major advances over the next 15 years can berealized by continuing and building upon the multidisciplinary programs that have brought usto this point. NASA's current and planned Space Science programs begin the next steps in thequest for Origins and pose the technology challenges needed for subsequent steps. Missionsnow underway and in planning, including Hubble Space Telescope upgrades, the AdvancedX-ray Astrophysics Facility, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, the StratosphericObservatory for Infrared Astronomy, the Mars Surveyor series, and other planetary and spaceastronomy and physics projects, will offer powerful tools for advancing the Origins program.At the same time, while the Origins challenge provides a unifying core for the Space Scienceprogram, neighboring disciplines address important problems of their own, and mayunexpectedly contribute directly -- as was the case for the recent analyses of Martianmeteorites. These related activities span the broad panoply of laboratory, field, and theoreticalresearch conducted by NASA. Existing NASA planning processes, coordinated with NSF andother agencies and using peer review, are the best way to define the details and priorities ofthese programs.

The FY 1998 Budget request includes an increase for several Origins-related programs. Theseinclude:

an increase for the Mars Surveyor program to allow for the launch of a Mars samplereturn mission in the middle of the next decade, and to increase the scientific robustnessof the program; a new Exploration Technologies Development program, to enable bold, new, low-costexperiments on the surface of solar system bodies; full development of the Keck II ground-based interferometer, to enable direct detectionof planets around other stars; an increase in astrochemistry/astrobiology research and analysis, to support themultidisciplinary study of the origin and evolution of pre-biotic material, the origin anddistribution of life, the adaptation of life to space, and space studies of life on Earth.

These initiatives are responsive to the President's new Civil Space Policy, which calls for:

A sustained program to support a robotic presence on the surface of Mars by the year2000 for the purposes of scientific research, exploration and technology development; A long-term program, using innovative technologies, to obtain in-situ measurementsand sample returns from the celestial bodies in the solar system;

A long-term program to identify and characterize planetary bodies in orbit around otherstars.

Investment in a balanced and diversified Origins program is expected to yield a steady returnof significant findings and, inevitably, major surprises. Over the next 15 years, scientists andthe public could share the excitement of discoveries such as:

when and how primitive life emerged and flourished on Earth; sharp pictures of planet-forming disks, infant stars and the growth of galaxies; more detailed histories of the early stages of the universe, including maps of the darkmatter seeds that grew to form galaxies.

The Hubble Space Telescope images of embryonic solar systems and the evidence for possiblepast life on Mars have aroused intense public interest in the Origins of the universe and itscontents. These breakthroughs are the astonishing returns from years of investment in manyscientific disciplines. The Origins quest informs, excites and inspires the public. Its outcomecould well have as profound an effect on human thought as the Copernican and Darwinianrevolutions.

Education and public outreach

In 1995 the Office of Space Science published an education and public outreach strategy. Morerecently, OSS and the Space Science Advisory Committee chartered a Task Force of scientistsand educators to consider how this strategy should be implemented. The recommendations ofthe Task Force were published in October 1996, and are available in full on the World WideWeb at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/oss/pubs.htm. The Task Force concluded that, in orderto have a significant impact on improving the quality of science, mathematics and technologyeducation, and on enhancing public understanding of science in the United States, OSS musttake a comprehensive, integrated approach. A series of one-on-one, or few-on-one, interactionsbetween the public and OSS-sponsored scientists cannot have a significant impact. The TaskForce recommended the creation of a distributed, decentralized "Ecosystem" or network forspace science education to foster a wide variety of highly-leveraged education/outreachactivities. The results of those activities would then be disseminated across the country.

The foundation of this "Ecosystem" is the set of participants in the Space Science programlocated at universities, federal and non-federal laboratories, and aerospace industries.Superimposed upon this foundation are sets of "nodes" of three different types:

The producers of educational materials and products which draw upon the results ofOSS activities. These products are in a form either directly usable or easily adaptablefor use in education and public outreach; The archivers/disseminators of educational products who ensure that such products are

known, widely available, and easily accessible; A set of brokers/facilitators who aggressively search out high-leverage opportunities foreducation/outreach; arrange alliances between individual scientists or scientific teamsand educators to realize those opportunities; and help the space science community turnresults from missions and research programs into educationally appropriate productswhich can be distributed nationally.

In many cases, existing institutions are in a position to take on one or more of these roles, sothat limited OSS resources can be directed toward value-added activities rather than toward thecreation and maintenance of institutions. In practice, the system envisioned by the Task Forcestarts with the identification of an educational need; continues with the formation of apartnership between scientists and educators (through the use of a broker/facilitator ifnecessary) for the specific purpose of meeting that need; and leads to the development ofeducational materials which are then catalogued and distributed by an archiver/disseminator toa wide variety of users. A set of Implementation Principles governs the operations of the"Ecosystem" and also serves as a basis for making decisions concerning the types ofeducation/outreach activities which OSS should sponsor and/or support. The Task Forceidentified a subset of its more than 50 individual Findings and Recommendations whichrequire near-term actions in order to proceed with the development of the "Ecosystem". OSSintends to pursue the recommendations of the Task Force.

Technology development and transfer

The Office of Space Science Integrated Technology Strategy establishes the frameworkthrough which OSS will team with partners in NASA and industry to develop the criticaltechnologies required to enhance space exploration, expand our knowledge of the universe, andensure continued national scientific, technical and economic leadership.

The OSS vision of success for its Integrated Technology Strategy is the embodiment, at alllevels and across all disciplines, of a continued commitment to develop, utilize and transfertechnologies that provide scientific and globally competitive economic returns to the nation. Toattain this vision, OSS strives to meet four primary goals: (1) OSS will identify and supportthe development of promising new technologies which will enable or enhance space scienceobjectives and reduce mission life-cycle costs; (2) OSS will infuse these technologies intospace science programs in a manner that is cost effective, with acceptable risk; (3) OSS willestablish technology transfer as an inherent element of the space science project life cycle; and(4) OSS will support the development of strong and lasting implementing partnerships amongindustry, academia and government to assure the nation reaps maximum scientific andeconomic benefit from its Space Science program.

With its Integrated Technology Strategy, the Office of Space Science will contribute to bothNASA crosscutting and Space Science mission-specific spacecraft technology advancements.

This new role of ensuring crosscutting technology infusion will serve both internal andexternal customers. NASA's internal customers consist of the Human Exploration, SpaceScience, Mission to Planet Earth, and Aeronautics Enterprises. External customers includeboth the aerospace and non-aerospace industry, as well as other government agencies.Investments in spacecraft, science instrument, and ground or space-based systemstechnologies will ensure that new technologies continue to become available to enableinnovative and cost-effective future missions. The crosscutting technology advancements willbe achieved through a balance of near-term and far-term activities. Near-term (< 5-year)development will be targeted to specific user needs for currently planned missions, andfar-term basic research (>5-year horizon) will identify and exploit major new scientific andtechnical discoveries to enable new missions.

MEASURES OF PERFORMANCE

The Office of Space Science has been working with the Office of Management and Budget,the NASA Advisory Committee, and NASA's Office of Policy and Plans to develop metricsin response to the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. Although thefollowing metrics are not the final set which will be used to address GPRA, they are indicativeof the issues under consideration.

Fundamental Science

Fundamental Science is the primary objective of the Space Science program, however, it isalso among the most difficult of outcomes to measure. OSS has developed two surrogatemeasures of fundamental scientific performance, each of which are based on assessments thatare made independent of NASA. These metrics do not capture all aspects of performance thatneed to be measured, but they do provide important insights into fundamental scientificperformance.

1) Science News metric - This metric is based on that journal's annual listing of "mostimportant stories" going back 24 years (1973 - 1996). "Science News" tracks the newdiscoveries they consider most significant on an annual basis. By tallying the stories based onscientific or technical accomplishments each year, a metric is generated that can be used tocompare OSS performance over time as compared to all other "world class" science in fieldsas diverse as archaeology and biomedicine. The following is a synopsis of our observations asof the end of 1996:

Space Science discoveries have contributed 4.1% of world science return over the past24-year period. A sharp spike in the mid-70s reflects the Viking mission to Mars in 1976. A secondspike is seen in the late 1970s, led by Voyager's encounter with Jupiter. In contrast, the1980's shows a steep decline, commensurate with the loss of Challenger which delayed

the launch of new missions for several years. The late 1980s and early 1990s has seen a dramatic increase in science output, drivenlargely by the start of prime mission operations of major missions such as HST, theCosmic Background Explorer (COBE) and Magellan 1994 was the best year on record for OSS, as Space Science discoveries contributed9% of world science return, led by HST discoveries which produced over 5% of worldscientific output. HST's output is the best performance for a single OSS program sinceViking landed on Mars in the mid-70s. 1995 showed a slight decline, but was still wellover the historical average. 1996 was another outstanding year, with Space Scienceaccounting for 7% of world-wide discoveries. This output was led by the discovery ofpossible fossils of primitive life in a meteorite from Mars. HST also continues to makeheadlines, producing 3.5% of world discoveries in 1996 by itself, while the arrival ofGalileo at Jupiter has led to the start of what is expected to be a succession ofground-breaking discoveries.

2) College Textbook metric - This metric attempts to show how the most significant topics ofa single year get incorporated into the overall body of scientific knowledge. Six editions of apopular introductory college astronomy textbook spanning 1979-1995 were analyzed to assessOSS contributions. Long-term performance is measured by OSS's capture of "intellectualmarket share" (i.e. what percentage of the material is based on OSS contributions) as well asby overall growth of knowledge about astronomy.

Textbook material based on Space Science contributions grows steadily, reflecting thecumulative effect of new information which is added to the overall body of scientificknowledge as new discoveries are added. The textbook grew 33% from 1979 to 1995, with the largest contributor being newchapters on Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, resulting from NASA deep space missions tothe outer planets. In 1995, 27% of knowledge presented in the textbook was based on OSS contributions,which is double the 13% OSS contribution in 1979

Additional credibility accrues to these two metrics because of the significant correlationbetween the identification of new discoveries in "Science News" followed by their inclusioninto college text 3-5 years later. An enclosed chart identifies the historical performance of OSSover the past 24 years in accordance with the two metrics just described.

Faster, Better, Cheaper

A major strategic thrust of OSS is to increase overall cost effectiveness of the Space ScienceEnterprise by providing more frequent access to space for the science community within anincreasingly constrained budget environment. Current plans within the Space Science programcall for a significant increase in the historical launch rate despite reduced resources. Toward

this end, OSS has restructured several missions to reduce cost and schedule requirements.Mission series such as Explorers, Discovery, Mars Surveyor and New Millennium allemphasize the selection of future missions within predetermined cost, schedule and launchservices requirements. The success of this new strategy is measured by three importantcriteria:

1) Development time - Mission development time is a key factor in putting fresh ideas intopractice and in the overall cost of a mission, and, therefore, must be reduced from historicallevels. OSS plans to reduce development times from an average of more than 9 years formissions launched in 1990-94 to less than four years for missions planned for launch in2000-04.

Future Explorers (i.e. MIDEX, UNEX and SMEX) are planned for 2-3 yeardevelopment times vs 4-5 year development times of previous Delta-class missions. Discovery missions are planned for 3 year development schedules (or less) Mars Surveyor missions are planned for 3-4 year development schedules New Millennium missions are planned for 2-3 year development schedules

2) Development cost - Given the tightly constrained NASA budget plans for the next severalyears, mission development costs must be reduced, and cost estimate overruns must beeliminated if OSS is to sustain a reasonable launch rate for new missions. Consequently,NASA is now planning the majority of future missions to fit within a predetermined cost"cap" or target.

Future Explorer missions are targeted at specific costs in FY 1994 dollars, all wellbelow historical cost levels: Medium Explorers (MIDEX) ($70M); Small Explorers(SMEX) ($30-40M); University Explorers (UNEX) ($5M). The FUSE mission has been restructured from a $254 million Delta-class mission to a$100 million Med-Lite class mission, while the launch date has been accelerated byapproximately two years.SIRTF, an FY 1998 new start, has been extensively restructured from its originalconfiguration in order to reduce its development costs by a factor of 4 over the originalestimate Discovery missions are constrained to no more than $150 million FY 1992 dollars fordevelopment, a fraction of what planetary missions have historically cost. The first fourDiscovery missions (Mars Pathfinder, NEAR, Lunar Prospector, and Stardust) areactually averaging less than $110 million FY 1992 dollars for development Mars Surveyor and New Millennium missions, while not strictly capped during thedefinition phase, are capped at the time of selection for development. Additional savings are achieved by constraining future mission designs to smaller, lessexpensive launch vehicles (i.e. Med-Lite, Small-class, Ultra-Lite) as opposed toDelta-class or higher as historically has been the case.

3) Launch rate - The provision of more frequent launch opportunities is essential to foster thenext generation of space scientists and engineers, and to provide a more continuous flow ofexciting new discoveries.

MIDEX, SMEX and UNEX mission launches are anticipated at the rate of nearly 1launch per year for each mission class, contingent upon available funding and thespecific missions selected. We expect to significantly increase the UNEX launch ratearound the beginning of the next decade, assuming availability of low-cost launchers Discovery and New Millennium missions each support an annual launch rate of 1launch every 12-18 months The Mars Surveyor program supports 2 launches at every Mars launch opportunity (i.e.every 2 years)

A graph following this section illustrates the projected trend in declining mission cost andschedule requirements while accelerating the annual launch rate beyond FY 2000.

In addition to reductions in cost and schedule requirements for development and launch ofspacecraft, OSS has sought cost effectiveness in mission operations and data analysis(MO&DA). This is the phase where the principal science objectives of every endeavor areaccomplished. MO&DA is definitely becoming "better" and "cheaper", as illustrated by theaverage cost per year of operating missions. In 1994 the Office of Space Science operated 14missions at an average cost of $20M per year per mission. Our current plans for FY 2002include operation of 29 missions at an average cost of $6.3M per year per mission, afactor-of-3 improvement. (These figures exclude HST, AXAF and Cassini, large missionswhich would skew the data). MO&DA costs have been reduced by using smaller, "smarter"spacecraft, accepting more risk in mission operations, reducing funding to scientists aftercompletion of the primary mission phase, and arranging for more international collaborations.A graph following this section illustrates the effects of these changes.

ADVANCED X-RAY ASTROPHYSICS FACILITY

BASIS OF FY 1998 FUNDING REQUIREMENT(Thousands of Dollars) FY 1996 FY 1997 FY 1998

Advanced x-ray astrophysics facility development 237,600 178,600 92,200

* Total cost information is provided in the Special Issues section

PROGRAM GOALS

The Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) is the third of NASA's GreatObservatories, which include the Hubble Space Telescope and the Compton Gamma RayObservatory. AXAF will observe matter at the extremes of temperature, density and energycontent. Previous x-ray missions, such as the Small Astronomical Satellite-C and the EinsteinObservatory have demonstrated that observations in the x-ray band provide a powerful probeinto the physical conditions of a wide range of astrophysical systems. With its unprecedentedcapabilities in energy coverage, spatial resolution, spectral resolution and sensitivity, AXAFwill provide unique and crucial information on the nature of objects ranging from nearby starslike our Sun to quasars at the edge of the observable universe. Some of the major scientificquestions addressed by AXAF include:

What is the age and size of the universe? AXAF will provide an independentmeasurement at x-ray wavelengths of the Hubble constant, which determines theanswers to these questions. Brighter binary sources in galaxies within the Virgo clustercan be resolved and detected individually, as can sources in intermediate galaxies. Thus,the population of bright X-ray sources in hundreds of galaxies can be determined. Sincehigh-energy X-rays are unaffected by obscuring material, the brightness of sources canbe accurately measured and the hypothesis that these sources, or a subset of them, are"standard candles" can be accurately tested. If such "standard candles" are found,distances to nearby galaxies can be accurately determined. These distances are a crucialstep in the derivation of the Hubble Constant and the potential of these measurements istruly exciting. What is dark matter? Dark matter accounts for more than 90% of the mass of theuniverse, but what it is remains a total mystery. The gravitational effects of dark matterhave proven its existence, but it has yet to be identified. It may be massive amounts ofordinary matter in the form of small, non-radiating objects yet to be detected, or it maybe some exotic new form of matter. AXAF will be able to map the distribution of darkmatter in distant clusters of galaxies, contributing to our understanding of this enigma. What is the x-ray background radiation? Other x-ray missions have seen a faint x-raybackground emission covering the entire sky, the nature of which is uncertain. AXAFis expected to detect quasars and active galaxies 100 times fainter than the EinsteinObservatory could, and can thus look to significantly greater distances. This isunknown territory, except that the integrated emission from many unresolved faintsources probably contributes most of the X-ray background. Deep AXAF observationswill come close to imaging this background and will provide a sample of distant objectswhich record the state of the universe at early times.


The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was assigned responsibility for managing theAXAF Project in 1978 as a successor to the High Energy Astrophysics Observatory (HEAO)program. The scientific payload was selected through an Announcement of Opportunity (AO)

in 1985 and confirmed for flight readiness in 1989. TRW was selected as prime spacecraftcontractor for the mission, with major subcontracts to Hughes Danbury (mirror development),Eastman Kodak (High Resolution Mirror Assembly -- HRMA), and Ball Aerospace (ScienceInstrument Module - SIM). The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) also hassignificant involvement throughout the program. AXAF will be launched on the Shuttle withan Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) provided by Boeing. International contributions are being madeby the Netherlands (an instrument), Germany (an instrument), Italy (detector test facilities),and the United Kingdom (microchannel plates and science support).

AXAF was given new start approval in FY 1989, with full-scale development contingent upondemonstrating the challenging advances in mirror metrology and polishing technology. Thefirst pair of mirrors were fabricated and tested in a specially designed X-ray CalibrationFacility (XRCF) at MSFC in 1991, and the x-ray results validated the metrology andpolishing. With the success of this Verification Engineering Test Article (VETA) #1demonstration, the program proceeded fully into design and development.

The AXAF program was restructured in 1992 in response to downward revisions of the futurefunding projections for NASA programs. The original baseline was an observatory with sixmirror pairs, a 15-year mission in low-Earth orbit, and shuttle servicing. The restructuringproduced AXAF-I, an observatory with four mirror pairs to be launched into a high Earthorbit for a five year life time, and AXAF-S, a smaller observatory flying an X-RaySpectrometer (XRS). A panel from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) endorsed therestructured AXAF program. The FY 1994 AXAF budget was reduced by Congress,resulting in termination of the AXAF-S mission. The Committees further directed that residualFY 1994 AXAF-S funds be applied towards development of a similar instrument payload onthe Japanese Astro-E mission to mitigate the science impact of losing AXAF-S. This activityis underway, and funding for Astro-E activities is requested within the Payload and InstrumentDevelopment line.


PerformanceMilestone

Plan Actual/Revised Description/Status

AXAF ObservatoryCDR

February1996

February 1996 This major milestone was achieved onschedule. The review assessed thevalidity and maturity of observatorydesign as a functionally integratedsystem in terms of subsystemcompatibility, interface requirementsand ability to meet all establishedperformance criteria within acceptablelevels of technical, cost and schedulerisk.

Science InstrumentModule (SIM)completed

April1996

June 1997 Fabrication of the Science InstrumentModule completed at Ball Aerospace.The SIM will house the two focalplane science instruments on AXAF.Completion of this milestone is nowscheduled for June 1997; a SIMsurrogate was delivered to the XRCFin September 1996 to supportcalibration, with no impact to criticalpath slack

Deliver flightinstruments

August1996

January 1997(HRC) & March1997 (ACIS)

Flight instruments shipped uponcompletion of integration and testactivities. An ACIS surrogate wasdelivered to the XRCF in September1996 to support calibration, with noimpact to critical path slack

X-ray calibrationbegins at MSFC

January1997

-- Tests will verify HRMA mirroralignment and compare technicalperformance of mirrors and scienceinstruments against predicted values.On schedule

CompleteHRMA/Instrumentcalibration

April1997

-- Verification of end-to-end opticalperformance. On schedule

Begin Observatoryassembly and test

October1997

-- Initiate integration of completedspacecraft with telescope andinstruments at TRW, followed byfull-up systems testing(thermal-vacuum, acoustic, etc.). Onschedule

Deliver Observatoryto KSC

June1998

-- Observatory integration and systemstesting completed at TRW. Beginintegration with upper stage, finalperformance testing, and integration inShuttle. On schedule.

Launch Observatory August1998

-- Shuttle deployment into low-Earthorbit followed by upper stage deliveryto highly elliptical operational orbit.On schedule.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND PLANS

Detailed design activities for the spacecraft were completed on time in December 1995, andfabrication of the flight structure began in early 1996. The spacecraft Structural Test Articlewas completed in January 1996, and static testing was completed in April. The CDR for theentire AXAF Observatory was completed in February 1996.

A major milestone was achieved in November, with the completion of the integrated HighResolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA). After all mirrors were bonded into the HRMA, testingshowed that it will meet all specifications for the accurate focusing of x-rays. The HRMA hasbeen delivered to MSFC to support the start of calibration testing in January 1997.

As mentioned above, technical problems with the science instruments and the ScienceInstrument Module (SIM) have resulted in delays in the deliveries of flight models. Asurrogate ACIS instrument and a surrogate SIM have been delivered to support XRCF testing;flight models will be delivered and integrated later. This adjustment to the schedule will allowthe HRMA to be completely tested in the XRCF, without serious loss of critical path slack.

Following completion of XRCF testing in April, the HRMA will return to TRW for final

continue through June 1998, when the completed AXAF will be delivered to KSC for launchintegration and then launch on the Shuttle in August.

Program costs are at or below planned levels, and reserves (as a percentage of work to go) areholding steady.

SPACE INFRARED TELESCOPE FACILITY


SIRTF development -- -- 81,400


PROGRAM GOALS

The purpose of the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) mission is to explore the natureof the cosmos through the unique windows available in the infrared portion of theelectromagnetic spectrum. These windows allow infrared observations to explore the coldUniverse by looking at heat radiation from objects which are too cool to radiate at optical andultraviolet wavelengths; to explore the hidden Universe by penetrating into dusty regionswhich are too opaque for exploration in the other spectral bands; and to explore the distantUniverse by virtue of the cosmic expansion, which shifts the ultraviolet and visible radiationfrom distant sources into the infrared spectral region. To exploit these windows requires thefull capability of a cryogenically-cooled telescope, limited in sensitivity only by the faintinfrared glow of the interplanetary dust. SIRTF is the fourth of NASA's Great Observatories,which include the Hubble Space Telescope, the Compton Gamma Ray Telescope, and theAdvanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility. By completing NASA's family of GreatObservatories, an infrared capability will enable the full power of modern instrumentation tobe brought to bear, across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, on the central questions ofmodern astrophysics. Many of these questions can be unraveled only by the full physicalpicture that this broad spectral coverage uniquely provides.

Rather than simply "descoping" the original Titan-class SIRTF -- the original "GreatObservatory" concept -- to fit within a $400 million (FY94) cost ceiling imposed by NASA,scientists and engineers have instead redesigned SIRTF from the bottom-up. The goal was tosubstantially reduce costs associated with every element of SIRTF -- the telescope,instruments, spacecraft, ground system, mission operations, and project management. With aneye towards cost, and in recognition of the unprecedented sensitivity afforded by the latestarrays, the SIRTF Science Working Group identified a handful of the most compelling

problems in modern astrophysics for which SIRTF could make unique and importantcontributions. These primary science themes, which have recently received the endorsement ofthe National Research Council's Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics, satisfy most ofthe major scientific themes outlined for the original SIRTF mission in the Bahcall Report(which judged SIRTF the highest priority major new program for all of U.S. astronomy in the1990s). The focus of SIRTF's impressive scientific capabilities will be on:

Protoplanetary and Planetary Debris Disks. One of the most exciting and unexpecteddiscoveries of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) survey was that many nearbystars are surrounded by disks of material like the dust in our own Solar System.Modeling of the IRAS data suggests that these disks contain particles ranging in sizefrom ~1 mm up to bodies as large as asteroids and comets, with some argumentssuggestive of still larger, planet-sized objects. Further exploration of this phenomenonwill help us understand the frequency and properties of planetary systems aroundnearby stars. SIRTF is expected to contribute significantly to this exploration byimaging the nearby examples in great detail, searching for possible empty inner regionscaused by planets. SIRTF's ability to study debris disks around literally thousands ofstars should allow the relations between planetary debris disk properties and stellarmass, luminosity, age, and multiplicity to be determined, revealing fundamentals ofplanetary system formation. Brown Dwarfs and Super Planets. Brown dwarfs are objects with masses between0.001 and 0.08 that of the Sun (0.001 - 0.08 M[sun]). They are too low in mass tosustain nuclear burning but may be visible in the infrared as they radiate thegravitational energy released in their formation. They are of particular interest becausethey may account for some of the "missing mass" which forms a dynamicallysignificant, but as yet unseen, halo for our Galaxy -- and other galaxies as well. Asbrown dwarfs age, they become cooler and fainter in the infrared. However, in a single600-second integration at the 4.5-micron wavelength, SIRTF is designed to detect 0.03M[sun] objects with ages of 10 billion years -- as is appropriate for the halo of ourGalaxy - at distances up to about 100 light-years from the sun. If the missing mass inour galaxy is in the form of 0.03 solar mass brown dwarfs, approximately 1000 ofthem should be present in the data base created by a SIRTF survey which will coverabout 1% of the sky. Ultraluminous Galaxies and Active Galactic Nuclei. IRAS identified several newclasses of infrared-luminous galaxies. One such class which was found in the mainIRAS catalogs is the ultraluminous galaxies (ULGs), which have optical imagessuggestive of violent interactions and mergers, and luminosities well into theluminosity range of quasars. More recently, several even more luminous galaxies havebeen found through followup studies of the IRAS Faint Source Catalog and Database.These Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) radiate 90 to >99% of their total luminosity atinfrared wavelengths. SIRTF is designed to detect ULGs billions of light-years awayand study their evolution in space-time. If ULGs are triggered by galaxy interactions,

there should be more of them at earlier epochs, when the higher density of the universewould have led to more frequent galaxy-to-galaxy interactions. The same observationswould detect AGN objects near the edge of the observable universe and determinewhether they are different -- perhaps powered by a different physical mechanism --than the lower luminosity ULGs. SIRTF should be able to determine the physicalconditions in the interiors of these objects, thereby determining the source of theirluminosity. The Early Universe -- Deep Surveys. SIRTF's deep imaging at wavelengths between 3and 8 microns is designed to probe the early universe. These measurements will permita determination of redshift, the speed at which distant objects are receding from us.Comparison of SIRTF's census of galaxy quantities and properties as a function ofredshift will test our understanding both of the evolution of galaxies and of thegeometry of space-time. The investigations of the most luminous infrared galaxiesdiscussed earlier will provide additional insights into the early universe. It has beensuggested that these objects may be protogalaxies -- undergoing an initial cataclysmicburst of star formation -- because their luminosity is far too high to be sustained bynuclear burning in a normal stellar population. If this conjecture is true, the numbers ofsuch objects ought to increase markedly with look-back time, and SIRTF's ability todetect them ought to reveal many new examples.

While these topics drive the mission design, SIRTF's powerful capabilities have the potentialto address a wide range of other astronomical investigations, including studies of the outersolar system, the early stages of star formation, and the origin of chemical elements. Takentogether, SIRTF's design capabilities are expected to allow it to achieve many of the initialgoals of the Origins program, which are outlined in the Space Science summary section.Moreover, SIRTF's measurements of the density and opaqueness of the dust disks aroundnearby planets will help set the requirements for future Origins missions designed to directlydetect planets.


The FY 1998 budget proposes appropriation language for multi-year funding of SIRTFdevelopment and launch costs. The requested appropriations are $81.4 million for FY 1998,$134.5 million for FY 1999, $130.0 million for FY 2000, $117.3 million for FY 2001 and$25.8 million for FY 2002, for a total of $489.0 million. Enactment of these appropriationswill ensure the stability to manage and execute this program within its budget and schedulecommitments.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was assigned responsibility for managing the SIRTFproject. The SIRTF Mission is composed of six major system elements and components asdescribed below. The first three elements (the Science Instruments, Cryo/Telescope Assembly,and Spacecraft Assembly) will be assembled into a single space-based observatory system by

means of the fourth element -- System Integration and Test. The fifth element is the launchvehicle, and the sixth is the ground system which will be used to operate the Observatory onthe ground prior to launch, and in space to achieve the mission objectives.

Science Instruments will be provided by three Principal Investigators (PIs) selected by NASAin 1984 in response to a NASA Announcement of Opportunity. The three science instrumentsand their PIs are: the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC), Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory,Dr. Giovanni Fazio; the Infrared Spectrometer (IRS), Cornell University, Dr. James Houck;and the Multiband Imaging Photometer for SIRTF (MIPS), University of Arizona, Dr.George Rieke.

The Cryo/Telescope Assembly (CTA) will be developed by Ball Aerospace and TechnologiesCorporation, Boulder, CO, as an industrial member of the SIRTF Integrated Project Team, andwill consist of all of the elements of SIRTF that will operate in space at reduced or cryogenictemperatures. This will include the telescope, telescope cover, cryostat, and supportingstructures and baffles. The cryostat will contain the cold portions of the PI-supplied ScienceInstruments.

The Spacecraft Assembly will be developed by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space,Sunnyvale, CA, as an Industrial member of the SIRTF Integrated Project Team, and willconsist of all of the elements of SIRTF that are needed for power, data collection, Observatorycontrol and pointing, and communications. These elements of SIRTF are nominally operatedat or near 300 degrees K, and will also include the warm portions of the PI-provided ScienceInstruments.

System Integration and Test (SIT) has been identified as a separate system element, and willbe provided by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space, Sunnyvale, CA, as an Industrial memberof the SIRTF Integrated Project Team. This element will complete the assembly of theObservatory using the SIs, the CTA, and the Spacecraft Assembly. System level verificationand testing, launch preparations and launch of SIRTF will be performed by this element.

Ground and Operations System development will be accomplished in parallel withObservatory development. This will be done to reduce redundant development of groundequipment and to assure compatibility between ground equipment and the Observatory afterlaunch. This equipment will be developed by the mission development team at JPL.

SIRTF is planned for launch on a Delta launch vehicle during FY 2002.




Non AdvocateReview (NAR)

October1997

-- The review will demonstrate that SIRTFhas a plan for the design and developmentthat is credible and consistent with NASAresources and science communityexpectations.

PreliminaryDesign Review

October1997

-- Review at the completion of the functionaldesign of SIRTF to demonstrate that theproject is technically ready to proceed withdetail design (Phase C).

Start Phase C/D April 1998 -- Approval by NASA to proceed with thedesign and development of the SIRTFproject

Critical DesignReview

October1998

-- The review at the completion of the detaildesign will demonstrate that the SIRTFdesign is credible within planned resources,and that it satisfies the science community'sexpectations.

Launch December2001

-- Launch on a Delta launch vehicle to a solarorbit trailing the Earth.


Please refer to the Supporting Research and Technology section for a discussion of FY 1996 -1997 accomplishments during SIRTF Phase A and Phase B studies. With the funds requestedfor FY 1998, SIRTF will be able to enter Phase C/D. A Preliminary Design review is plannedfor October 1997 and a Critical Design Review is planned for October 1998.

RELATIVITY MISSION


Relativity mission development 51,500 59,600 45,600


PROGRAM GOALS

The purpose of the Relativity Mission (also known as Gravity Probe-B) is to verify Einstein'stheory of general relativity. This is the most accepted theory of gravitation and of thelarge-scale structure of the Universe. General relativity is a cornerstone of our understanding ofthe physical world, and consequently of our interpretation of observed phenomena. However,it has only been tested in a limited number of ways. An experiment is needed to explore moreprecisely the predictions of the theory in two areas: (1) a measurement of the "dragging ofspace" by rotating matter; and (2) a measurement of space-time curvature known as the"geodetic effect". The dragging of space has never been measured, and the geodetic effectneeds to be measured more precisely. Whether the experiment confirms or contradictsEinstein's theory, its results will be of the highest scientific importance. The measurements ofboth the frame dragging and geodetic effects will allow Einstein's Theory to be either rejectedor given greater credence. The effect of invalidating Einstein's theory would be profound, andwould call for major revisions of our concepts of physics and cosmology.

In addition, the Relativity Mission is contributing to the development of cutting-edge spacetechnologies that are also applicable to future space science missions and transportationsystems.


This test of the general theory requires advanced applications in superconductivity, magneticshielding, precision manufacturing, spacecraft control mechanisms, and cryogenics. TheRelativity Mission spacecraft will employ super-precise quartz gyroscopes (small quartzspheres machined to an atomic level of smoothness) coated with a super-thin film ofsuperconducting material (needed to be able to "read-out" changes in the direction of spin ofthe gyros). The gyros will be encased in an ultra-low magnetic-shielded, supercooledenvironment (requiring a complex process of lead-shielding, a Dewar containing supercooledhelium, and a sophisticated interface among the instrument's telescope, the shielded instrumentprobe, and the Dewar). The system will maintain a level of instantaneous pointing accuracy of20 milliarcseconds (requiring precise star-tracking, a "drag free" spacecraft control system, andmicro-precision thrusters). The combination of these technologies will enable the RelativityMission to measure: (1) the distortion caused by the movement of the Earth's gravitationalfield as the Earth rotates west to east; and, (2) the distortion caused by the movement of theRelativity Mission spacecraft through the Earth's gravitational field south to north, to a level ofprecision of 0.2 milliarcsecond per year (the width of a human hair observed from 50 miles).

The expertise to design, build and test the Relativity Mission, as well as the detailedunderstanding of the requirements for the Dewar and spacecraft, resides at Stanford Universityin Palo Alto, CA. Consequently, MSFC has assigned responsibility for experimentmanagement, design, and hardware performance to Stanford. Science experiment hardware

development (probe, gyros, dewar, etc.) is conducted at Stanford in collaboration withLockheed/Palo Alto Research Laboratory (LPARL). Spacecraft development and systemsintegration will be performed by Lockheed Missiles and Space Corporation (LMSC). Launchis scheduled for October 2000 aboard a Delta II launch vehicle.




Flight ModelDewar Delivery

November1996

October 1996 Delivery of the largest Helium Dewarever made for a science mission. Readyfor integration with the Probe Bprototype for the second series ofperformance tests. Completed ahead ofschedule

Ground Tests-2Astart

June 1997 -- Conduct the third series of performancetests using the flight model dewar andProbe B prototype. Expected to beaccomplished early.

Flight ProbeDelivery

September1997

-- Supports start of Science Missionpayload (dewar, probe, and telescope)integration and testing in early FY 1998.Expected to be completed early.

Flight Probeintegrated withScience InstrumentAssembly

April 1998 -- Successful interface of the dewar to thescience payload. Expected to becompleted early.

Launch October2000

-- Launch aboard a Delta II launch vehicle.Program ahead of schedule to achievethis launch date.


The program continues ahead of the baseline schedule to launch the Relativity Mission byOctober 2000. The flight dewar was completed ahead of schedule and advances have beenmade in the scientific payload design. The second series of ground tests (GTU-1A)demonstrated the proper functioning of many aspects of the design. The third series of groundtests (GTU-2A), which are scheduled to start in June 1997, will incorporate the flight dewarand will transition later (following the delivery of the flight probe, which interfaces the science

payload to the dewar) into the final series of ground tests.

The spacecraft development has also made outstanding progress. The PDR was held sevenmonths ahead of schedule, and the spacecraft's unique thrusters and its balancing mechanismshave passed several qualification tests. The spacecraft CDR (planned for October 1997) is alsolikely to be accomplished significantly ahead of schedule.

An External Independent Readiness Review (EIRR) team is currently being formed to ensurethat the mission will meet all established Level 1 technical and scientific requirements.

CASSINI DEVELOPMENT


Cassini Development 191,500 89,600 9,000


PROGRAM GOALS

Building on the discoveries made by the Pioneer and Voyager missions, the Cassini programwill provide unprecedented information on the origin and evolution of our solar system. It willhelp tell how the necessary building blocks for the chemical evolution of life are formedelsewhere in the universe. The Cassini mission will conduct a detailed exploration of theSaturnian system including: 1) the study of Saturn's atmosphere, rings and magnetosphere; 2)remote and in situ study of Saturn's largest moon, Titan; 3) the study of Saturn's other icymoons; and 4) a Jupiter flyby to expand our knowledge of the Jovian System. In conjunctionwith Galileo's study of the Jovian system, the mission should also provide much insight as tohow and why the large, gaseous outer planets have evolved much differently than the innersolar system bodies.


Cassini is scheduled for launch in October 1997 aboard a Titan IV launch vehicle. Anextensive cruise period is required to reach Saturn, during which the spacecraft will fly byVenus, Earth, and Jupiter to gain sufficient velocity to reach its destination. Upon arrival inJune 2004, the spacecraft will begin four years of study of the Saturnian system that willprovide intensive, long-term observations of Saturn's atmosphere, rings, magnetic field, andmoons. In conjunction with the observations conducted by the spacecraft, the European SpaceAgency (ESA) - provided Huygens Probe will be injected into the atmosphere of Saturn's

moon Titan. The probe will conduct in-situ physical and chemical analyses of Titan'smethane-rich, nitrogen atmosphere, that is a possible model for the pre-biotic stage of theEarth's atmosphere. The Cassini spacecraft will also obtain a radar map of most of Titan'ssurface.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has been assigned responsibility for managing theCassini Project and for developing the spacecraft. NASA also has four partners in the Cassiniproject: the Department of Defense/Air Force is constructing a Titan IV Centaur launchvehicle; the Department of Energy is contributing the Radioisotope Heater Units (RHUs) andRadioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) for the mission; the European Space Agency(ESA) is providing the Huygens probe; the Italian Space Agency (ASI) is contributing theHigh Gain/Low Gain Antenna for the spacecraft and elements of the radar mapper.




Start System LevelTests

May1996

May 1996 Integration, test and checkout of flighthardware and instruments

Deliver Flight ModelScience Instruments

July 1996 July 1996 Delivery of flight model instruments toJPL for integration with the spacecraft.

Start SpacecraftEnvironmental Tests

October1996

October 1996 Tests entire spacecraft performance in asimulated mission environment to assureproper operation in space

Ship spacecraft toKSC

April1997

-- Complete system level integration andtest activities. Begin integration with TitanIV/Centaur launch vehicle at KennedySpace Center (KSC). On schedule

Spacecraft launch October1997

-- Development phase complete. Initiatespacecraft checkout and cruise operations.On schedule.


Cassini spacecraft flight system integration continued through the first half of FY 1996.Engineering model instruments were delivered in mid-FY 1996 for integration and test withthe spacecraft systems. Flight model instruments were delivered in late calendar FY 1996 forintegration with the spacecraft in preparation for spacecraft environmental tests. ESA alsodelivered the Engineering Model Huygens Probe in early FY 1996 for integration and test with

the spacecraft, and Italy delivered the protoflight High Gain Antenna.

For FY 1997 Cassini funding will support completion of the flight model science instruments,and remaining integration, environmental, and system test activities that are required prior toshipment of the spacecraft to KSC. The spacecraft will be delivered to KSC in April 1997. TheRTG's will also be completed and shipped to KSC by the Department of Energy in April, andwill be integrated to the spacecraft in July. Ground System software development and testingwill be completed in July, and training of the flight operations team will be completed. TheLaunch Readiness Review and the President's launch decision will be completed in Septemberfor an October 1997 launch.

Cassini will be launched in October 1997 aboard a Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle, and istargeted for its first flyby of Venus in April 1998 for a gravitational assist as it begins itsseven-year cruise to Saturn.

THERMOSPHERE, IONOSPHERE, MESOSPHERE ENERGETICS ANDDYNAMICS (TIMED)


TIMED Development -- 18,200 48,200


PROGRAM GOALS

The primary objective of the TIMED mission is to investigate the energetics of theMesosphere and Lower Thermosphere/ Ionosphere (MLTI) region of the Earth's atmosphere(60-180 km altitude). The MLTI is a region of transition in which many important processeschange dramatically. It is a region where energetic solar radiation is absorbed, energy inputfrom the aurora maximizes, intense electrical currents flow, and atmospheric waves and tidesoccur; and yet, this region has never been the subject of a comprehensive, long-term, globalinvestigation. TIMED will provide a core subset of measurements defining the basic states(density, pressure, temperature, winds) of the MLTI region and its thermal balance for the firsttime. These measurements will be important for developing an understanding of the basicprocesses involved in the energy distribution of this region and the impact of natural andanthropogenic variations. In a society increasingly dependent upon satellite technology andcommunications, it is vital to understand the atmospheric variabilities so that the impact ofthese changes on tracking, spacecraft lifetimes, degradation of materials, and re-entry of pilotedvehicles can be predicted. The mesosphere may also show evidence of anthropogenic effects

that could herald global-scale environmental changes. TIMED will characterize this region toestablish a baseline for future investigations of global change.


The TIMED mission is the first science mission in the Solar Terrestrial Probes (STP)Program, as detailed in Space Science Strategic Plan. TIMED is part of NASA's initiativeaimed at providing cost-efficient scientific investigation and more frequent access to space. TheTIMED mission is scheduled aggressively, but realistically, for a three year developmentprogram, cost-capped at $100 million in FY 1994 dollars. TIMED will be developed forNASA by the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). The AerospaceCorporation, the University of Michigan, NASA's Langley Research Center with the UtahState University's Space Dynamics Laboratory, and the National Center for AtmosphericResearch will provide instruments for the TIMED mission.

TIMED is scheduled for launch in January 2000 aboard a Med-Lite Class launch vehicle.TIMED will begin its 36-month Phase C/D development period in April 1997. TIMED willbe a single spacecraft located in a high-inclination, low-Earth orbit with instrumentation toremotely sense the mesosphere/lower thermosphere/ionosphere regions of the Earth'satmosphere. TIMED will carry four instruments: Solar Extreme ultraviolet Experiment(SEE), Infrared Sounder (SABER), Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI), and Doppler Interferometer(TIDI).




Complete Phase B;start C/D

April 1997 -- Complete definition study andinitiate the 36-month developmenteffort. On schedule.

Non-AdvocateReview

February1997

-- Conduct Design Concurrence andCost Review.

Preliminary DesignReview

February1997

-- Confirm that the science goals andobjectives are achievable withinMission Design


January 1998 -- Confirmation that the design issufficient to move into full-scaledevelopment.

Completion ofInstrumentDevelopment

December1998

-- Complete delivery of all 4 flightinstruments to APL.

Begin

Spacecraft I&T

January 1999 -- Spacecraft integration and test inpreparation for launch.

Launch January 2000 -- Launch aboard a Med-Lite Launchvehicle

PAYLOAD AND INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT


Tethered satellite system 4,200 -- --

Astro-E 7,400 5,600 7,100

Mars instruments 2,600 -- --

Shuttle/international payloads 11,700 11,300 5,200

Total 25,900 16,900 12,300

PROGRAM GOALS

Payload and Instrument Development supports a number of instruments and payloads to beused on international satellites or on Spacelab missions. International collaborative programsoffer opportunities to leverage U.S. investments, obtaining scientific data at a relatively lowcost. Spacelab missions utilize the unique capabilities of the Shuttle to perform scientificexperiments that do not require the extended operations provided by free-flying spacecraft. ThePayload and Instrument Development program supports investigations in Sun-Earthconnections, the structure and evolution of the universe, and exploration of the solar system.


The Tethered Satellite System (TSS) program is an international cooperative project with theItalian government. The TSS was flown aboard the shuttle in July-August 1992, and reflownin February 1996, to perform space plasma experiments while also investigating the dynamicforces acting upon a tethered satellite.

In the FY 1994 appropriation, Congress directed NASA to pursue flight of a GSFC-developedX-ray spectrometer on the Japanese Astro-E mission. NASA will contribute improved foilmirrors and an x-ray calorimeter derived from the spectrometer previously planned for thecanceled AXAF-S mission. This new device will measure the energy of an incoming X-rayphoton by precisely measuring the increase in temperature of the detector as the photon isabsorbed. It will provide high quantum efficiency over a large instantaneous bandpass, from0.3 to 10 keV, at an unprecedented spectral resolution of approximately 15 eV over the entirebandpass. The foil mirrors will have a large collecting area, approximately 400 squarecentimeters at 6 keV, and will provide approximately 2 arc second resolution. Thesecapabilities will permit an unprecedented sensitivity study of a wide range of astrophysicalsources, answer many outstanding questions in astrophysics, and likely pose many new ones.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) provided two Mars Oxidation (MOx) experiments forRussia's Mars '96 mission, which launched unsuccessfully in November 1996.

The Payload and Instrument Development program also supports several other internationaland U.S. development projects. These include the Orbiting and Retrievable Far and ExtremeUltraviolet Spectrometer (ORFEUS) and Interstellar Medium Absorption ProfileSpectrograph (IMAPS), to be flown on the German-U. S. Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS); theSatelite de Aplicaciones Cientificas-B (SAC-B), the first Argentinean spacecraft; the HighEnergy Transient Experiment (HETE, 1996), a small satellite for study of gamma-ray burstphenomena in multiple wavelengths; ground-based support for Japan's Very Long BaselineInterferometry Space Observatory Program (VSOP, 1997) and Russia'sRADIOASTRON (1999) program; portions of two instruments to be flown on Europe'sX-ray Mirror Mission (XMM, 1999); and participation in Europe's International Gamma RayAstrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL, 2001).

ORFEUS/IMAPS, which flew aboard the Shuttle in the summer of 1993 and was reflown inNovember 1996, has explored the character of extreme and far ultraviolet sources, studied thecomposition and distribution of matter in the neighborhood of the Sun, and performed directobservations of the interstellar medium.

SAC-B and HETE were launched unsuccessfully on a single Pegasus rocket in November1996. The spacecraft achieved orbit, but the Pegasus failed to release the two satellites due to apower failure on the third stage. SAC-B was a collaborative program with the Argentines.Although primarily an engineering test of the first flight of an Argentine satellite, the missionwas to use an Argentine instrument to observe hard x-rays from solar flares and use a U.S.instrument to survey diffuse x-ray emissions over a major portion of the sky. The Argentinesachieved many of their engineering objectives and do not intend to build a replacement. HETEwas a collaborative program with France and Japan managed by the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology. The mission was to provide information about the precise location of gamma-raybursters and spectral analysis of these and other high energy transient phenomena. NASA iscurrently considering a potential HETE recovery mission, which would use existing designsand hardware.

The Space Very Long Baseline Interferometry (SVLBI) program is composed of the JapaneseVSOP and Russian Radioastron missions. These two international missions will provide thehighest resolution images of radio sources ever obtained. NASA is participating on the scienceadvisory groups and providing ground processing hardware, tracking support, and theconstruction of four ground science stations to support both missions. With its extremely longbaseline, VSOP and Radioastron will explore very small radio sources with high angularresolution, thereby achieving higher resolution of active galactic nuclei and compact radiosources than can be achieved on the ground. VSOP and Radioastron each have a design life of

3 years.

The ESA XMM satellite will have highly sensitive instruments providing broad-band study ofthe x-ray spectrum. This mission will combine telescopes with grazing incidence mirrors and afocal length greater than 7.5 meters with three imaging array instruments and two ReflectionGrating Spectrometers (RGS). The U.S. is providing components to the Optical Monitor(OM) and RGS instruments. XMM science will be complementary to the U.S. AdvancedX-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF). XMM's higher through-put (i.e., higher number ofphotons collected) will allow somewhat better spectroscopy of faint sources, while AXAF willexcel at high resolution imaging. XMM has a lifetime goal of 10 years.

The ESA INTEGRAL mission will perform detailed follow-on spectroscopic and imagingstudies of objects initially explored by the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Its enhancedspectral resolution and spatial resolution in the nuclear line region will provide a uniquechannel for the investigation of processes -- nuclear transitions, e-/e+ annihilation, andcyclotron emission/absorption -- taking place under extreme conditions of density,temperature, and magnetic field. U.S. participation consists of co-investigators providinghardware and software components to the spectrometer and imager instruments; aco-investigator for the data center; a mission scientist; and a provision for ground tracking anddata collection. Launch is expected in 2001; INTEGRAL has a design life of two years.


Tethered Satellite System:



TSS launch February1996

February 1996 Operations conducted aboard Shuttlemission STS 75.

Astro-E:



Engineeringmodelspectrometerdelivery

April1996

April - October1996

With the delivery of this unit, theconstruction and test procedures needed forthe flight unit have been validated. The unitprovided to the Japanese served to testsystem interfaces and allow completesystems tests to be run.

First engineeringmirror deliveredto Japan

October1996

November 1996 With the delivery of the first mirror, theconstruction, assembly and test procedureshave been completely demonstrated.Subsequent development of the next fourmirrors will follow a known path. TheJapanese will be able to test out systeminterfaces, conduct environmental tests, andconduct complete systems tests.

Flight modelspectrometerdelivery to Japan

July1997

December1997-May 1998

This task concludes the XRS instrumentconstruction phase and begins a period ofvalidation, testing and calibration prior todelivery of the instrument to Japan in 1998.Expected to be completed late, withsubcomponents delivered to Japan ascompleted, but still supports the Japaneseschedule.

Mars Instruments:



Deliver MOxSensor Head

May 1996 May 1996 Provide two refurbished MOx sensorheads to Russia for spacecraftintegration

Spacecraft launch November1996

November 1996 Launched on Russian Proton booster;failed



SAC-B/HETElaunch

November1995

November 1996 Delayed pending Pegasus launchvehicle recovery. Launch failure inNovember 1996.

Cluster launch November1995

June 1996 Delayed by ESA until May 1996 due toAriane-V launch vehicle problems.Launch failure in June 1996.

VSOP launch September1996

Instrument/spacecraft integration andtest completed: Japanese launch.


Despite loss of the Italian satellite during deployment in February 1996, the TSS payload didobtain some useful data. Data analysis activities will completed in the near future.

Delivery of the engineering model Astro-E calorimeter was performed in pieces, andcompleted in time to support the Japanese schedule requirements. Fabrication of the flightmodel has begun. Verification and environmental tests will be completed in early FY 1998.Design work for the five mirrors which will be supplied to the Astro-E mission has beencompleted by the GSFC Mirror team, and fabrication has begun. Delivery of the firstengineering model mirror to the Japanese occurred in November 1996. Delivery of the firstflight mirror to the Japanese is scheduled for August 1997, and the fifth and final mirror willbe delivered by December 1998. The project is on schedule for a February 2000 launch.

The First Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for international competition for observingtime on the SVLBI program was released in June 1995. Initial VSOP science operations arescheduled to begin May 1997, following launch in January. XMM flight model componentsare to be shipped by June 1997 in support of a launch in December 1999.

EXPLORER PROGRAM


Advanced Composition Explorer 18,500 18,700 5,500

Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer 56,600 22,000 26,800

Medium Explorers 13,700 41,200 62,400

Small Explorers 33,700 35,000 37,800

University Class Explorers 3,000 2,400 4,200

Explorer Planning 6,700 5,700 6,000

*Total 132,200 125,000 142,700


PROGRAM GOALS

The goal of the Explorer program is to provide frequent, low-cost access to space for Physicsand Astronomy investigations that can be accommodated with small to mid-sized spacecraft.The program supports investigations in all space physics and astrophysics disciplines.Investigations selected for Explorer projects are usually of a survey nature, or have specificobjectives not requiring the capabilities of a major observatory. The Explorer programcontinues to seek reductions in the cost of developing spacecraft, in order to provide morefrequent launch opportunities for space science missions.


Explorer mission development is managed within an essentially level funding profile. Newmission starts are therefore subject to availability of sufficient funding in order to stay withinthe total program budget. Explorer missions are categorized by size, starting with the largest,Delta-class, moving down through the Medium-class (MIDEX), the Small-class (SMEX) andthe University-class (UNEX) missions. As part of NASA's efforts to reduce the cost ofExplorer missions, no new Delta-class missions are budgeted. NASA also funds a technologydevelopment program within the Explorer program, with the goal of reducing the weight andcost of future small spacecraft. Funding for Explorer mission studies is also provided within

1997. This space physics mission will use nine instruments to study the composition of thesolar corona, interplanetary and interstellar media, and galactic matter across a wide range ofplasma phenomena. The instruments include six high-resolution spectrometers, designed tohave better collecting power than previous systems, to study the mass and charge of plasmaphenomena. Three other instruments will provide measures of the lower energy phenomenarelated to the solar wind. Spacecraft development of ACE is provided by the Johns HopkinsUniversity Applied Physics Laboratory, with project management by GSFC. Foreignparticipation on ACE includes the University of Bern which will provide instrumentcomponents, and the Max Planck Institute which will provide a flight data system shared bythree instruments.

Medium Class

The new Medium-class Explorer (MIDEX) program was initiated to facilitate more frequentflights, and thus more research opportunities, in the areas of astrophysics and space physics.Plans call for about one MIDEX mission to be launched per year, with development costcapped at no more than $70 million (FY 1994 dollars) each, excluding the costs of the launchvehicle and mission operations and data analysis. In March 1996 NASA selected the first twoscience missions for the new MIDEX program. The two missions selected for definitionstudies leading to confirmation and development are the Microwave Anisotrophy Probe(MAP) and the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE). The MAPmission will undertake a detailed investigation of the cosmic microwave background to helpunderstand the large-scale structure of the universe, in which galaxies and clusters of galaxiescreate enormous walls and voids in the cosmos. GSFC will be developing the MAPinstruments in cooperation with Princeton University. The IMAGE mission will usethree-dimensional imaging techniques to study the global response of the Earth'smagnetosphere to variations in the solar wind, the steam of electrified particles flowing outfrom the Sun. The magnetosphere is the region surrounding the Earth controlled by itsmagnetic field and containing the Van Allen radiation belts and other energetic chargedparticles. Southwest Research Institute has been selected to develop the IMAGE mission.

Development of the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopy Explorer (FUSE) began early in FY 1996.The FUSE mission, previously planned as a Delta-class mission, was restructured in order toreduce costs and accelerate the launch date from CY 2000 to late CY 1998. Although not aMIDEX mission, FUSE can be seen as a transitional step towards the MIDEX program.FUSE will conduct high resolution spectroscopy in the far ultraviolet region. Majorparticipants include the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Colorado, and Universityof California, Berkeley; Orbital Sciences Corporation has been selected by JHU as thespacecraft developer. Canada will provide the fine error sensor assembly, and France willprovide holographic gratings. GSFC will provide management oversight of this PrincipalInvestigator-managed mission.

Small Class

Small Explorers (SMEX) include the Fast Auroral Snapshot (FAST), the SubmillimeterWave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS), the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE)and the Wide-field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) missions. These missions will launch aboardPegasus launch vehicles. These SMEX missions are managed by GSFC, where the spacecraftare developed in-house. SMEX missions are capped at $35 million in FY 1992 dollars.

The Fast Auroral Snapshot (FAST) Small Explorer initiated development in 1991 andlaunched successfully in August 1996 aboard a Pegasus XL launch vehicle. FAST isproviding high resolution data on the Earth's auroras and on how electrical and magnetic forcescontrol them. The flow of electrons, protons, and other ions is being studied with greatersensitivity and spatial discrimination and faster sampling than ever before, using five small,university-provided instruments. FAST data is integrated with the results of otherEarth-observing satellites and ground observations.

The Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) Small Explorer initiated developmentin 1991. The launch of the SWAS mission was delayed from January 1997 to TBD due to therecent (November 1996) failure of the Pegasus launch vehicle. SWAS will provide discretespectral data for study of the water, molecular oxygen, neutral carbon, and carbon monoxide indense interstellar clouds, the presence of which is related to the formation of stars. Majorparticipants include the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the Millitech Corporation,Ball Aerospace, and the University of Cologne, which provides a spectrometer.

The Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) Small Explorer initiated developmentin October 1994 and is scheduled for launch in late 1997. TRACE is a solar science missionthat will explore the connections between fine-scale magnetic fields and their associated plasmastructures. Observations of solar-surface magnetic fields will be combined with observationsshowing their effects in the photosphere, chromosphere, transition region and corona. Majorparticipants include the Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory and the Harvard-SmithsonianCenter for Astrophysics.

The Wide-field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) Small Explorer also initiated development inOctober 1994, and is scheduled for launch in late 1998. WIRE will detect starburst galaxies,ultraluminous galaxies, and luminous protogalaxies. Major participants in WIRE include UtahState University, Ball Aerospace, Cornell University, Cal Tech, and the Jet PropulsionLaboratory.

NASA will release an Announcement of Opportunity (OA) in 1997 to select the SMEXmissions for launch in 2000 and 2001.

University Class

University-class Explorer (UNEX) missions are currently planned to help NASA achieve ahigher future flight rate. UNEX are very small, low-cost missions managed, designed anddeveloped at universities in cooperation with industry. The program will develop greatertechnical expertise within the academic community beyond the suborbital class missionscurrently being flown aboard balloons and sounding rockets, thus creating greater opportunityfor students and reducing the required role of NASA in-house expertise. UNEX missions willcost only a few million dollars each for definition, development, and operations. UNEXmissions will be similar to the Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative (STEDI) missions(SNOE, TERRIERS, and CATSAT) which are under development.


Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE)



Instrumentdeliveries complete

December1996

October 1996 All instruments ready for physicalintegration with the spacecraft

Beginenvironmental tests

February1997

-- Following completion of integration, thespacecraft enters its series of electrical,magnetic, vibration, thermal/vacuum, andbalance tests. Ahead of schedule.

Ship to KSC July 1997 -- Spacecraft system level testingsuccessfully complete. Move to KSC forintegration with Delta II launch vehicle.Ahead of schedule.

Launch December1997

-- Possible earlier launch

Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopy Explorer (FUSE)



Mission CDR April1996

April 1996 Confirmed that the mission design is sound.

Spacecraft CDR June1996

June 1996 Confirmed that design is of sufficient maturityand detail, and is compatible with establishedinterfaces (thermal, structural, etc.). Designfrozen prior to initiation of full-scale hardwarefabrication.

FUSE SpacecraftI&T

June1997

-- Begin to assemble and test majorcomponents. On schedule

Launch October1998

-- On schedule.

Medium-class Explorer Progam



Step 2 Selections March1996

April 1996 Two missions selected for start of PhaseB definition studies.

IMAGE PDR January1997

-- Approve for more detailed designanalysis, and confirm that scienceobjectives are achievable. On schedule

IMAGE SpacecraftCDR

August1997

-- Confirmation that the mission design issound, and that it can move to full-scaledevelopment. On schedule.

IMAGE - Begininstrument I&T

February1998

-- Integrate and test major instrumentcomponents. On schedule.

IMAGE - BeginS/C System I&T

August1998

-- Integrate and test major spacecraftsubsystems. On schedule for launch bythe first quarter of FY 2000.

MAP Mission PDR January1997

-- Confirmation leading to Phase C/D. Onschedule.

MAP Mission CDR July 1997 -- Confirmation that the mission design issound. On schedule.

MAP - BeginInstrument I&T

October1997

-- Integrate and test major instrumentcomponents. On schedule for launch bythe first quarter of FY 2001.

Performance Milestone Plan Actual/Revised Description/Status

Transition Region andCoronal Explorer(TRACE) Start integrationand test

August 1996 August 1996 Begin to assemble majorcomponents onto the spacecraft

Ship TRACE to launchsite

September1997

-- Move to KSC for integrationwith the launch vehicle. Onschedule.

TRACE Launch October 1997 -- On schedule, but depends onPegasus return to flight.

Wide-field InfraredExplorer (WIRE) Startintegration and test

October 1997 -- Begin to assemble majorcomponents onto the spacecraft.On schedule.

WIRE Launch August 1998 -- On schedule, but depends onPegasus return to flight

University-class Explorer Progam



Release of AO 2nd QtrFY 1997

-- Release an Announcement ofOpportunity (AO) for the first round ofUNEX missions.

Complete selection 4th QtrFY 1997

-- Select the first round of UNEX missionsand initiate development activities

First UNEX missionlaunch

4th QtrFY 1999

-- Launch the first UNEX mission aboardan Ultra-Lite Class ELV.

in June 1996. Fabrication of the spacecraft and instruments will start in February 1997, leadingto integration and test activities in the summer of 1997. The FUSE spacecraft will be deliveredto the launch site for final preparations to support launch in October 1998 aboard a Delta 7300slaunch vehicle.

The first MIDEX Announcement of Opportunity (AO) was released in March 1995. In StepOne of the evaluation process, thirteen proposals were selected in September 1995 for furtherevaluation. In Step Two of the evaluation process, two of the thirteen proposals were selectedfor definition study in April 1996. The two missions selected are MAP and IMAGE.Development for these two MIDEX missions starts in FY 1997. Confirmation fordevelopment for the IMAGE mission is expected in March 1997, and confirmation of theMAP mission is scheduled for July 1997. Development of the IMAGE and MAP missionswill continue throughout FY 1998, including integration and testing of subsystems with thespacecraft structure. IMAGE is targeted for launch in early FY 2000, and the MAP is targetedfor an early FY 2001 launch. Both MAP and IMAGE will be launched aboard Med-Lite classlaunch vehicles. An Announcement of Opportunity (AO) will be released for the next round ofthe MIDEX program in March 1997.

In the SMEX program, FAST launched successfully in August 1996. SWAS will be launchedas soon as possible, following the return to flight status of the Pegasus XL launch vehicle. Thedevelopment of components for the TRACE and WIRE missions was completed in FY 1996.TRACE launch is scheduled in late 1997, and WIRE launch is scheduled for late 1998, bothaboard Pegasus XL launch vehicles. An Announcement of Opportunity (AO) will be releasedfor the next round of the SMEX program in January 1997.

NASA has used the additional FY 1996 UNEX appropriations provided by Congress to fundthe Cooperative Astrophysics and Technology Satellite (CATSAT) mission. Additionalresources required to fully fund the CATSAT mission have been provided within theExplorers FY 1997 budget. The CATSAT mission was considered as a backup to the first twoStudent Explorer Demonstration Initiative (STEDI) missions. CATSAT is a small,astrophysics space flight mission specifically designed to solve the puzzle of Gamma RayBursts' origin using an innovative multi-observation approach. The development efforts for theCATSAT spacecraft and launch vehicle started in FY 1996, and will continue through FY1998. CATSAT is developed by the University of New Hampshire. CATSAT is targeted forlaunch in mid-FY 1998 aboard an Ultra-Lite class ELV.

The University Class Explorer (UNEX) program also initiates in FY 1997. NASA plans torelease an Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for the UNEX program in 1997, with the firstset of missions selected by the end of the fiscal year. The first of these missions will bedeveloped in FY 1998, and is planned for launch in 1999 aboard an Ultra-Lite class ELV.

DISCOVERY PROGRAM


Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous* 8,300 -- --

Mars Pathfinder * 33,700 -- --

Lunar Prospector * 36,400 19,800 --

Stardust * 13,500 52,200 42,300

Future Missions 10,300 4,800 64,200

Total 102,200 76,800 106,500


PROGRAM GOALS

The Discovery program provides frequent access to space for small planetary missions thatwill perform high-quality scientific investigations. The program responds to the need forlow-cost planetary missions with short development schedules. Emphasis is placed onincreased management of the missions by principal investigators. The Discovery program isintended to accomplish its missions while enhancing the U.S. return on its investment andaiding in the national goal to transfer technology to the private sector. It seeks to reduce totalmission/life cycle costs and improve performance by using new technology and by controllingdesign/development and operations costs. A Discovery mission development cost (Phase C/Dthrough launch plus 30 days) must not exceed $150 million (FY 1992 dollars), and themission must launch within 3 years from start of development. The program also seeks toenhance public awareness of, and appreciation for, space exploration and to provideeducational opportunities.


The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission was an FY 1994 new start, and wasdeveloped in-house at the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), although many subsystemswere subcontracted. NEAR was successfully launched on a Delta II launch vehicle onFebruary 17,1996. NEAR will conduct a comprehensive study of the near Earth asteroid 433EROS, including its physical and geological properties and its chemical and mineralogicalcomposition. The EROS launch opportunity required an accelerated development schedule forNEAR of only 27 months. The spacecraft carries five scientific instruments. The MultispectralImager (MSI) will provide global imaging coverage as well as detailed views of the asteroid atresolutions as high as one to two meters to reveal details of the geologic processes that have

affected its evolution; the X-Ray/Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (XGRS) will provide a chemicalanalysis by measuring several dozen key elements; the Near Infrared Spectrometer (NIS) willdetermine the mineral composition of the asteroid's surface; and the Magnetometer, togetherwith radio science, will help characterize its internal structure. The Laser Altimeter (LIDAR)will help determine the shape of the asteroid, distinguish albedo from topographic variations,and measure surface morphology. Tracking and navigation support is being provided by JPL.

The Mars Pathfinder mission was also an FY 1994 new start as an in-house effort at the JetPropulsion Laboratory (JPL). Pathfinder was successfully launched in December 1996 andwill arrive at Mars on July 4, 1997. The mission is designed to demonstrate the cruise, entry,descent, and landing system approach that will be used in future missions to place smallscience landers on the Martian surface. Pathfinder carries three science instruments and amicrorover. The multispectral stereo Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) will characterize theMartian surface morphology and geology at a 1-meter resolution. An Alpha-Proton X-raySpectrometer (APXS) will obtain information on the elemental composition of Martian rocksand soil. This instrument is carried aboard the microrover. An Atmospheric StructureInstrument and Meteorology package (ASI-Met) will obtain information on the structure of theMartian atmosphere from measurements during entry and descent, and will obtain in-situmeteorology information while deployed on the Martian surface. The lander will also deployand operate the microrover flight experiment to evaluate the effects of the Martian surfaceconditions on the rover design and its ability to deploy and operate science instruments.Portions of the science instruments were provided by Germany and Denmark.

The Lunar Prospector mission was selected as the third Discovery mission in FY 1995 withmission management from the NASA Ames Research Center. Lockheed Martin will providethe launch, spacecraft, instruments, and operations. Tracking and communications support willbe supplied by the Deep Space Network. The mission is designed to search for resources onthe Moon, with special emphasis on the search for water in the shaded polar regions. Inaddition, the mission will provide accurate gravity and magnetic models of the Moon,supplement the surface data collected by the Galileo and Clementine missions and providemajor additions to our understanding of the origin and evolution of the Earth, Moon, andPlanets. The spacecraft carries four scientific instruments. The Gamma Ray Spectrometer(GRS) will provide an elemental analysis of the lunar surface by measuring several keyelements; the Neutron Spectrometer (NS) will determine the abundance and distribution ofhydrogen in the lunar surface which points to the possible water reservoir; the Alpha ParticleSpectrometer (APS) will search for gas release events and map their distribution; and theMagnetometer and Electron Reflectometer (MAG/ER) will provide a comprehensive lunarmagnetics investigation. In addition, a Doppler gravity experiment (DGE) will be conductedusing the spacecraft communications system to provide a map of the lunar gravity field.Launch will be on a Lockheed Launch Vehicle-II in September 1997. The launch window isten days long and repeats every month.

The Stardust mission was selected as the fourth Discovery mission in November 1995, withmission management from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The mission team has completedthe Phase B analysis, and Stardust was approved for implementation in October, 1996. Themission is designed to gather samples of dust from the comet Wild-2 and return the samplesto Earth for detailed analysis. Stardust will also gather and return samples of interstellar dustthat the spacecraft encounters during its trip through the Solar System to fly by the comet.Stardust will use a new material called aerogel to capture the dust samples. In addition to theaerogel collectors, Stardust will carry three additional scientific instruments. An optical camerawill return images of the comet; the Cometary and Interstellar Dust Analyzer (CIDA) isprovided by Germany to perform basic compositional analysis of the samples while in flight;and a dust flux monitor will be used to sense particle impacts on the spacecraft. Stardust willbe launched on the Med-Lite expendable launch vehicle in February 1999 with return of thesamples to Earth in January 2006.

Discovery mission development is managed within an essentially level funding profile. Newmission starts are therefore subject to availability of sufficient funding in order to stay withinthe total program budget. Funding for mission studies is also provided within the Discoverybudget.


Mars Pathfinder



Flightqualificationcomplete

December1995

June 1996 Performance testing of major elements ofEntry, Descent and Landing (EDL)subsystem (airbag, aeroshell, chute, etc.)was extended to assure survivability of thepayload during Mars landing. Testscompleted in June 1996.

Pre-ship Review(PSR)

August1996

August 1996 Spacecraft shipped to Kennedy SpaceCenter (KSC) in August 1996 forintegration with Delta II launch vehicle.

Launch December1996

December 1996 Development phase complete; successfullaunch.

Lunar Prospector



InstrumentDelivery for I&T

October1996

November 1996 Flight model spacecraft subsystems andinstruments completed. Begin systemlevel integration and test phase.

Test ReadinessReview

November1996

November 1996 Flight System test Readiness Reviewensures that the flight systems areprepared for environmental testing.

Launch October1997

September 1997 Development phase complete; start ofmission. Now scheduled for September1997, accelerated one month, to avoidpotential launch pad conflicts withCassini.

Stardust



SystemRequirementsReview

April1996

April 1996 Ensures mission requirements can be metwith current technology and expecteddevelopments.

Technical DesignReview

October1996

September 1996 Review assured readiness to proceed withdetailed design and development.

PreliminaryDesign Review(PDR)

October1996

September 1996 Review confirmed that proposed projectbaseline meets all program-level performancerequirements and represents acceptable levelof cost and technical risk.


June1997

-- Confirms that the project system, subsystem,and component designs are of sufficient detailto allow for orderly hardware and softwaremanufacturing, integration and testing, withacceptable risk. Successful completion freezesthe design prior to initiation of fabrication,integration, and test. On schedule.

Start SpacecraftAssembly andTest

January1998

-- Begin to integrate major components of thespacecraft onto the spacecraft structure. Onschedule.

Startenvironmentaltests

June1998

-- Begin tests to demonstrate that the assembledspacecraft can withstand the launch and spaceenvironments. On schedule.

Cassini in October.

The Stardust mission was selected as the fourth Discovery mission in November 1995. PhaseA study activities were completed in October 1995, and Phase B analysis activities have beeninitiated. A technical design review was accomplished in September 1996, and the programstarted Phase C/D in November 1996. Assembly and test of spacecraft components willcontinue until late in calendar year 1997. Integration of components into the spacecraft willoccur in early CY 1998, leading to the start of environmental testing late in FY 1998.

Additional resources are requested in FY 1997 and beyond to study and initiate developmentof future Discovery missions. Announcements of Opportunity will be released on a regularbasis. An Announcement of Opportunity was released in September 1996, and proposals arecurrently under evaluation. FY 1997 funds will allow for Phase A studies of selectedproposals, leading to a selection late this fiscal year. Detailed Phase B studies of the selectedmissions will begin in October, and Phase C/D development will begin later in FY 1998.

MARS SURVEYOR PROGRAM


Mars Global Surveyor 58,100 -- --

Mars Surveyor 98 Orbiter and Lander 52,400 86,900 40,500

Future Missions 1,400 3,100 99,200

Total 111,900 90,000 139,700


PROGRAM GOALS

Mars has been a primary focus for scientists due to its potential for past biological activity andfor comparative studies with Earth. The Mars Surveyor program is a series of small missionsdesigned to resume the detailed exploration of Mars. Missions are planned for launch at everylaunch opportunity; opportunities occur about every 26 months due to the orbital periods ofEarth and Mars. In the near term, missions may either orbit Mars to perform mapping of theplanet and its space environment, or actually land on the planet to perform science from thesurface. A long-term goal is to perform a sample return mission, returning Mars rocks foranalysis. Earlier missions will facilitate this long-range goal by identifying those areas of Marswhich are most likely to contain samples of scientific importance, including (potentially)

evidence of past biological activity.


This program began in FY 1994 with the development of the Mars Global Surveyor, anorbiter which will obtain much of the data that would have been obtained from the MarsObserver mission. The orbiter will fly a science payload, comprised of spare Mars Observerinstruments aboard a small, industry-developed spacecraft. MGS was launched in November1996 aboard a Delta II launch vehicle and placed on a trajectory to Mars. The spacecraft willarrive at Mars in September 1997, and begin mapping operations in January, 1998. Thismission is to be succeeded by a series of small orbiters and landers which will make in-situmeasurements of the Martian climate and soil composition. Technology developed by theMars Pathfinder mission will be optimized to reduce lander mission costs and technical risk.An orbiter launch is planned in December 1998, a lander launch in January 1999, two launchesin the February 2001 opportunity, and launches in the 2003 and 2005 opportunities. The MarsSurveyor program has been augmented in FY 1998 and beyond to permit acceleration of asample return mission from FY 2007 to FY 2005, while maintaining the ability to develop andlaunch two spacecraft (an orbiter and a lander) at each opportunity through 2003.

Mars Surveyor mission development is managed within an essentially fixed funding profile.New mission starts are therefore subject to availability of sufficient funding in order to staywithin the total program budget. Funding for mission studies is also provided within the MarsSurveyor budget.


Mars Global Surveyor



InstrumentCalibration andTest

December1995

May 1996 Instrument integration completed.Instruments operated under simulatedflight conditions to validate/characterizeperformance against design specifications.Completion rescheduled to May 1996without impact to launch.

Instrumentdeliveries

February1996

May 1996 Instruments begin delivery to LockheedMartin for integration with spacecraft priorto initiation of system level testing.Completion rescheduled to May 1996without impact to launch date.

SystemAcceptanceReview

August1996

August 1996 Assure that flight hardware integration iscomplete and ready for final acceptancetests.

OperationalReadinessReview

October1996

August 1996 Formal review approving test results andrecommending mission launch. Scheduleaccelerated to August 1996.

Launch November1996

November 1996 Launched November 7, 1996. Spacecraftin cruise mode to Mars.

1998 Mars Surveyor Orbiter and Lander



Preliminary DesignReview (PDR)

March 1996 March 1996 Review held in March 1996 whichconfirmed that the project baseline met allprogram-level performance requirementsand represented acceptable levels of costand technical risk.

PayloadConfirmationReview

April 1996 April 1996 Confirmed that tentatively selectedpayload can be accommodated within thespacecraft specifications.

Spacecraft SystemsCritical --DesignReview (CDR)

January1997

-- Confirms that spacecraft system,subsystem and component designs aresufficiently mature, compatible withestablished interfaces (structural, thermal,electrical, etc.), and represent appropriatelevels of cost, schedule and technical risk.On schedule.

Start OrbiterIntegration and Test

May 1997 -- Integrate instruments and spacecraftsubsystems. On schedule.

Start LanderIntegration and Test

July 1997 -- Integrate instruments and spacecraftsubsystems. On schedule

Start Landerenvironmental tests

November1997

-- Confirm that the spacecraft can toleratethe launch and mission environments thatit will face. On schedule.

Start Orbiterenvironmental tests

November1997

-- Confirm that the spacecraft can toleratethe launch and mission environments thatit will face. On schedule.

Ship Orbiterspacecraft

August1998

-- Ship to the launch site. On schedule forDecember 1998 launch.



Release of AO 3rd QtrFY 1997

-- Release an Announcement ofOpportunity (AO) for Mars Surveyor2001 mission.

Start mission/flightsystem definition

3rd QtrFY 1997

-- Begin definition study for the missionand flight system

Science Instrumentselection

1st QtrFY 1998

-- Select the Science Instrument(s) to beflown on 2001 Mars Surveyor

Complete Phase B andstart C/D

3rd QtrFY 1998

-- Complete definition study and initiatethe development effort.




1st QtrFY2000

-- Confirms that spacecraft system, subsystem andcomponent designs are sufficiently mature,compatible with established interfaces(structural, thermal, electrical, etc.), andrepresent appropriate levels of cost, schedule andtechnical risk.

Ship Spacecraft 2nd QtrFY2001

-- Ship to KSC launch site

Launch 3rd QtrFY2001

-- Launch


In FY 1996, integration and testing of the MGS spacecraft was completed and the spacecraftwas delivered to the launch site for pre-launch processing. The Mission Operations SystemReadiness Reviews were completed, and operational readiness was confirmed. In FY 1997,

through a competitive process as the spacecraft development contractor. The selected payloadsfor the orbiter include the Pressure Modulator Infrared Radiometer (PMIRR -- a part of theMars Observer payload) and a Color Imager. A Descent Imager and a comprehensiveVolatiles and Climate payload, as well as the New Millennium Microprobe (Deep Space II),have been selected for the lander. The lander will also accommodate a Russian LIDARatmospheric instrument. The payload confirmation review was conducted in April 1996.Preliminary Design Review was held in March 1996, and the Critical Design Review isscheduled for January 1997. Integration and testing for the orbiter will begin in May 1997 andfor the lander in July, 1997. The orbiter payload is scheduled to be delivered for spacecraftintegration in August 1997, with the lander payload delivered for integration in November1997.

In FY 1997, conceptual studies on the two 2001 missions will be completed. The scienceinstruments for the missions will be selected, and technical definition studies initiated.Development is scheduled to begin in FY 1998.

NEW MILLENNIUM PROGRAM


New Millennium Spacecraft 43,500 48,600 75,700

PROGRAM GOALS

History has shown that the development of new technology has enabled bolder scientificinvestigations and has significantly enhanced the data return from all Space Science missions.In this vein, the New Millennium program has been established to precipitate a revolution inthe design, development and implementation of science spacecraft and instruments for the nextcentury. The primary objectives of the program are to provide for the infusion of newtechnology through the focused development and flight validation of key breakthroughtechnologies. Rapid development of spacecraft and instruments utilizing breakthroughtechnologies at a systems level will allow for micro spacecraft and micro instruments withlower mass and equivalent (or better) performance. Intelligent flight systems will be developedwhere navigation, data gathering and health monitoring functions can be fused with thespacecraft. The resulting microspacecraft will allow for increased flight rates on smaller, lesscostly launch vehicles. Intelligent flight systems and shorter flight times will translate intosmaller operations staff, allowing for increased scientific capabilities of the missions, increasedtechnological capability, and reduced life cycle costs.


The program will work with the science community to highlight key scientific challenges to beaddressed in the new millennium. Key capabilities to meet these challenges, and the associatedemerging technologies which address these capabilities, will be identified. Those technologieswhich contribute most significantly to ultimately achieving program goals will be selected,aggressively pursued and flight demonstrated if necessary. Current plans reflect technologydemonstration missions occurring at a rate of one or more per year, beginning as early as1998. The primary purpose of these missions will be to validate the high priority technologiesneeded to enable future science missions; however, where possible and cost-effective, thedemonstration flights will also exploit scientific targets of opportunity.

The New Millennium program received an augmentation in FY 1998 in order to initiateaggressive technology development and demonstration efforts for deep space missions. TheOuter Planetary Technology, Advanced Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) andCenter for Integrated Space Microsystems (CISM) projects were added in order to develop,integrate, and test key technologies for revolutionary new solar system exploration vehicles.The objective is to "leap-frog" currently planned technology developments to fulfill thelong-term vision of a "spacecraft on a chip", in which all electronic, power control,computational, and communications functions can be accomplished on small integrated chips.Similarly miniaturized, highly efficient technologies in areas such as power and propulsionwill also be developed to be compatible with the advanced electronic design. The projects willbe managed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with industry and university support, to takeadvantage of the Lab's unique expertise in deep space systems and microelectronicstechnology. The projects will be closely coordinated with other Government agency efforts.Approval for future outer planetary missions will depend on the success of these projects. Aninitial mission decision is planned for FY 2000.

By focusing on the needs of challenging space science missions from the Sun to the outersolar system, including intensive remote and in-situ exploration and sample return, theprogram will provide the motivation for stretching technology development to the point of"breakthrough". In addition to the goal of ultra-low mass, emphasis will be placed on advancesin autonomous operations, long lifetime, low power consumption, and survivability in extremethermal and radiation environments. These are areas in which industry is not investing due tothe lack of immediate economic incentives; however, the fundamental technological advancesthat are developed under this program will, when transferred to industry, provide aspringboard to a variety of new commercial products and perhaps to an entirely newgeneration of microdevices and spacecraft.

With their focus on revolutionary mid- and far-term technologies, the Outer PlanetaryTechnology, RTG and CISM programs will complement and will be closely coordinated withthe ongoing New Millennium program. Together, these technology programs represent aninvestment that will give not only NASA Space Science, but also the nation's satellite,

computer, and electronic industries, a head start into the 21st Century.

In implementing the strategy, NASA will place a strong emphasis on innovative managementapproaches assuring synergistic teaming with industry, academia, and other governmentagencies. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory will manage program implementation.


Defined Deep Space Missions



Deep Space (DS)Mission II DesignReview

February1996

February 1996 Initial Deep Space (DS) II systemlevel design and technologiesidentified.

DS Mission I ProjectReview

April 1996 May 1996 Peer review of complete system andsubsystem designs, ready for DetailedDesign Concurrence and fabrication.

DS Mission IImplementation

May 1996 May 1996 Award contract for fabrication,assembly, test and operations of DS I.



Select technologypartners

August 1996 August 1996 Refresh integrated product developmentteams with new industrial partners whoare developing revolutionarytechnologies.

DS II ProjectReview #2

March 1997 -- Detailed system level design andtechnologies identified. On schedule

DS I Start ofATLO

June 1997 April 1997 Start assembly, test, and launchoperations of DS I. On schedule.

DS II Ship toSTV

December1997

December 1997 Ship micro-probe to solar thermalvacuum chamber. On schedule.

Launch DS I July 1998 -- First New Millennium technologydemonstration flight. On schedule.

Launch DS II January1999

-- Piggyback on Mars 98 Lander. Onschedule.

Outer Planetary Technology, Advanced RTG and Center for Integrated SpaceMicrosystems (CISM) projects


Testbed demonstration 3rd Qtr1997

-- Conceptual demonstration of keyhardware and software technologiesfor low-cost outer solar systemmissions. Supports full missionsimulation by mid-1998.

Ultra-low powertechnologies

4th Qtr1998

-- Micro-electronics technologies thatoperate at minimum powerconsumption; breadboards developedand integrated into advanced testbed.Developed by CISM.

Advanced powerconversion technology(RPS Phase 1)

4th Qtr1998

-- High-efficiency power conversiontechnology coupled to existing heatsource. Joint development withDepartment of Energy. Enables powerproduction for first outer solar systemmissions with minimum mass andradioisotope content

Micro-avionics modules 3rd Qtr1999

-- CISM development ofthree-dimensional multi-chip modulesto perform most spacecraft electronicfunctions.

"Flight-like" model demo:X2000

4th Qtr1999

-- X2000 integrated advanced spacecraftsystem (spacecraft hardware, software,mission operations) demonstrated intestbed

"18 month launch ready" 4th Qtr1999

-- Committment that firstadvanced-technology spacecraft can beready for launch to an outer solarsystem target within 18 months ofdecision to proceed.

Advancedmicro-electronicstechnologies

Plan:2001 -2002

-- CISM development of reconfigurableand evolvable micro-electronicsystems; enables robust, autonomousspacecraft at very low mass.

Advanced power system(RPS Phase 2)

Plan:2003

-- Modular, high-efficiency power sourceincorporating new heat source designfor drastically reduced mass andradioisotope content.

"Flight-like" model demo:X2003

2003 -- Testbed demonstration of X2003, thesecond integrated advanced spacecraftsystem. Requires a major fraction ofelectronic functions to be performedon a small number of multi-chipmodules.

"Spacecraft-on-a-Chip" 2006 -- Testbed demonstration of integratedadvanced spacecraft system in whichall electronic functions are performedon chips. Incorporates all advancedelectronic and power technologiesalong with CISM-developed novelcomputing concepts.


The emphasis in 1996 was on ensuring that the technologies needed for the first mission (DSI) were on schedule and would meet the program goals. DS I hardware and softwareprocurements, hardware fabrication and subsystem testing in support of the 1998 launch wereinitiated. The design for DS Mission II was completed.

The principle activities in FY 1997 include the completion of DS I spacecraft fabrication andassembly, as well as the integration and test of the new subsystem technologies associatedwith the mission. The majority of early analysis and test for DS II will be completed andfabrication of flight hardware will begin.

The principle mission-related activities in FY 1998 will include the DS I launch in July, andfabrication and start of Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations (ATLO) of DS II. The DS IIwill piggyback on Mars 98 Lander, which is scheduled to launch in January, 1999.

Following some cost growth from the initial cost estimates provided previously, the DS I andDS II missions have been capped at $139.5 M and $26.5 M, respectively.

For Outer Planetary Technology, RTG, and CISM, the principal activities in FY 1998 willinclude the development of micro-electronics technologies that operate at minimum powerconsumption, as well as high-efficiency power conversion technologies coupled to existing

heat sources. By end of FY 1999, the development of the three-dimensional, multi-chipmodules are expected to be complete. The first version of the advanced testbed (the "X2000")integrating all of the above is expected to be fully integrated and lab-tested by the beginning ofthe year 2000, and it will be continually updated as the technologies continue to mature.

ADVANCED SPACE TECHNOLOGY


Spacecraft systems technology 43,300 37,700 42,000

Instrument/sensing technology 51,800 39,100 49,600

Autonomy and operations 13,300 27,100 26,600

Telerobotics 19,500 14,600 17,600

Communications 15,400 13,500 15,400

Total 143,300 132,000 151,200

PROGRAM GOALS

The future of NASA space science missions will largely be determined by the ability ofNASA to reduce mission costs without reducing performance and payoffs. The exploitation ofnew technologies is critical to cutting costs while maintaining or enhancing missioncapabilities.

The Advanced Space Technology program has the primary goal of providing innovativetechnologies to enable ambitious future space missions and to support development of therequired space technology base in the U.S. space industry through focused, joint technologyefforts. Although managed by the Space Science enterprise, the Advanced Space Technologyprogram will address joint space technology efforts across all of the Enterprises by working todevelop crosscutting technology products for future planetary, astrophysics, astronomy, Earthobserving, and human exploration spacecraft systems. These products will dramatically reducecosts and increase performance to enable new and more flexible missions.


The Advanced Space Technology program contains the crosscutting technology developmentefforts formerly managed by the Office of Space Access and Technology in the Spacecraft andRemote Sensing program. The emphasis in this program is on developing generic capabilities

addressing the needs of more than one Enterprise, and on carrying developments only to thepoint where their utility is demonstrated to the customer Enterprise. The Enterprises are thenresponsible for funding the development effort to integrate these technologies into their uniquespacecraft development projects.

The program plans to accomplish its tasks by focusing technology development on keyobjectives: (1) reduce the mass and increase the efficiency of spacecraft subsystems andsystems to enable use of smaller launch vehicles; (2) increase on-board and ground systemautonomy to reduce overall mission operations cost; and (3) exploit micro-fabricationtechnology to develop miniaturized components and instruments with equal or betterperformance than current components and instruments.

Overall Advanced Space Technology program goals will be achieved through a balance ofnear-term and far-term activities. Far-term basic research (~5-10 year horizon) will identifyand exploit major new scientific and technical discoveries to enable new missions, andnear-term (< 5 year) development will be targeted to specific user needs for currently plannedmissions.

The Advanced Space Technology program will utilize a comprehensive technologydevelopment strategy combining ground-based and space-based efforts. As required, selectedtechnologies will be validated in space through flight experiments on a variety of platforms,including: technology demonstration spacecraft; laboratories in orbit such as Mir or theInternational Space Station; spacecraft with primary science missions which have spaceavailable for experimental payloads; or dedicated, free-flying, experiment platforms. Theprogram is closely integrated with the New Millennium Program for Space Science andMission to Planet Earth in order to allow the fastest possible infusion of new technologies intodemonstration spacecraft. Nevertheless, space demonstrations will be used only when testingin a ground-based laboratory is not appropriate or is not achievable due to the inability toaccurately simulate the on-orbit environment.

In keeping with the emphasis on developing capabilities for all NASA Enterprises, theAdvanced Space Technology program is structured around cross-cutting technology areasaddressing all current and future NASA space missions. This structure enables theidentification of technologies that can best meet NASA mission requirements across allprogram areas (space science, Earth science, space communications, human exploration, etc.)versus individual mission requirements. The key cross-cutting areas are spacecraft systemstechnology, instrument and sensing technology, autonomy and operations, telerobotics andcommunications.

The Spacecraft Systems Technology program funds developments in power and propulsion,materials and structures, electronics and avionics, and systems analysis. The program includesa special emphasis on integrated design techniques and fabrication methods to produce

modular spacecraft incorporating microsystems and micro-instruments. The program willdemonstrate advanced thermal systems as well as lightweight space power concepts andsystems including batteries, and high-efficiency, low-weight photovoltaic arrays. The programwill also fund development of on-board electric and high-impulse chemical propulsionsystems; advanced, high-performance, low-power data management systems; improvedenvironmental models; and compact, lightweight deployable structures.

The Instrument/Sensing Technology program is focused on reducing the size and complexityof science payloads in order to reduce the cost of future missions. The program will alsoemphasize development of instruments with new scientific capabilities, such as detectors andmeasurement systems to allow scientific measurements in new regions of the electromagneticspectrum, and interferometer technology for unprecedented resolution of small and distantobjects. Interferometry could provide direct evidence of Earth-like planets around sun-likestars.

Autonomy and Operations Technology will emphasize the insertion of new approaches toreduce the life-cycle cost of science missions. The program will emphasize on-boardautonomy as well as highly intelligent ground systems to allow hands-off spacecraftoperations and automated science data analysis and archiving.

In the Telerobotics program, the Mars Pathfinder mission will demonstrate operation of thefirst ever telerobotically operated rover on another planet. Work will also focus on enablinglower cost planetary rovers with greater capability. Telerobotics technology will also bepursued to reduce the cost of on-orbit activities such as assembly and servicing of spacestations and science satellites, as well as to allow automated tending of science payloads.

In the Communications program, the strategy is to develop improved space communicationstechnology to meet NASA science and exploration mission requirements for the 1990's andbeyond, as well as to support long-term, high-risk communications needs. The program willdevelop advanced technology for high data rate transmission (multi-gigabit per second) fordeep space and near-Earth communications systems. It will also continue efforts to stimulatethe competitiveness of the U.S. satellite communications industry by developing standards,protocols, and interoperability among space and terrestrial networks.



Complete thedevelopment of ahigh-efficiency (50%)Traveling Wave tube(TWT) for Ku-Band(12-14 gigahertz (Ghz))for satellite applications

February1996

February 1996 By increasing TWT efficiencyfrom 35% to 50%, power andweight requirements would bereduced, allowing significantincreases in spacecraft capability orreduced launch costs. In eithercase, the competitiveness of thecommercial satellite industrywould be enhanced.

Cryogenic optical testingof an infrared telescopetest-bed

2nd QtrFY 96

4th Qtr FY 96 This technology supports the SpaceInfrared Telescope Facility(SIRTF) as well as other missionsthat require lightweight,high-performance optics. Thetestbed has been successfullytransferred to the SIRTF project.

Complete development ofa 155-Mbps,high-efficiency, IntegratedServices Digital Network(ISDN) modem

July 1996 July 1996 Efficient digital communicationssystems for the NationalInformation Infrastructure(NII)/Broad Band GlobalInformation Infrastructure (GII)will be demonstrated.

Mars Pathfindermicro-rover completedand flight qualified

4th Qtr FY1996

4th Qtr FY1996

The first micro-rover spacecraft tobe flown, it will pave the way forfuture planetary explorationmissions utilizing small roversystems.

Initial demonstration of a800- gigahertz localoscillator with planardiodes for sub-millimeterastrophysics applications

4th Qtr FY1996

4th Qtr FY1996

Sub-millimeter heterodyneastronomy missions will besupported by providing planardiodes that are more reliable andeasier to manufacture.

Deliver design guidelinesfor electromagneticcompatibility ofcomposite structures

4th Qtr FY1996

4th Qtr FY1996

These first guidelines forgrounding and bonding compositematerials will increase reliabilityand reduce costs for designing andbuilding spacecraft usingcomposites.

Deliver design guidelinesfor safety-critical circuits

4th Qtr FY1996

4th Qtr FY1996

These guidelines will provide thefirst common basis for design andanalysis of safety-critical circuits,reducing costs and improvingdesigns.

Demonstrate a high-performance integrated"camera-on-a-chip"active-pixel sensor

4th Qtr FY1996

4th Qtr FY1996

Miniature camera will reducespacecraft size and cost fornumerous Space and Earth Scienceapplications. In addition, thislow-power,low-manufacturing-cost, imagingtechnology relates directly to thepotentially high-volume marketssuch as home and digitalcommercial video, computerimaging, and medical imaging.

Test components ofintegrated, free-flyingmagnetometer"spacecraft-on-a-chip"

4th Qtr FY1996

4th Qtr FY1996

Multiple, very small (silver dollarsize) independent sensor systems,(with sensor, data telemetry andbattery power integrated ontosingle, chip-sized spacecraft) thatcan acquire science data and relay itback to a primary spacecraft will bedemonstrated.

Complete Rangerspacecraft design

4th Qtr FY1996

1st Qtr FY1997

Multiple advanced roboticstechnologies, including advancedground control, autonomousoperations, telepresence control,low-cost manipulator systems, androbotic servicing technologies willbe demonstrated on this flightexperiment. The engineeringdesign prototype has beencompleted. The first system isbeing redesigned as a Space Shuttlepayload, instead of an expendablelaunch payload, to allow for therecovery and re-flight of theexperiment.

Conduct demonstrationsof autonomous 100-acrerobotic crop harvesting

4th Qtr FY1996

2nd Qtr FY1997

Technology initially developed forplanetary rovers is beingtransferred to industry. This workwill result in a new agriculturalrobotics product line that willimpact an international market.

Operate Mars Pathfindermicro- rover on surface ofMars

3rd QtrFY 1997

-- As the first micro-rover to beflown, this system will pave theway for future planetaryexploration missions utilizingsmall rover systems. On schedule.

Demonstrate optimizedinfrared detector array forastronomy and planetdetection

3rd QtrFY 1997

-- The array will be a256x256-element, impurity-bandconduction (IBC),arsenic-doped-silicon (Si:As)device. This technology supportsmissions that requirehigh-performance,cryogenically-cooled detectorarrays at wavelengths near 40microns. On schedule.

Validate ultraviolet lasercrystals for use in accurateremote atmosphericobservation

4th Qtr FY1997

-- For both aircraft and space-basedmissions, NASA has a need forstable, high-performance tunablelasers to measure atmosphericconstituents in order to increase ourunderstanding of ozone depletion,global warming and otherclimate-related topics. Thisprogram will demonstrate adifferential absorption LIDAR(DIAL) for observing water vapor,ozone, cloud top heights andaerosols.

Flight demonstrate amicro-gyroscope withcontrol electronics.

4th Qtr FY1997

-- A microgyroscope with10-degrees-per-hour drift rate willbe demonstrated on a DC-8 flight.This technology supports controland guidance systems formicro-spacecraft, landers, androvers. On schedule.

Develop small advancedmonopropellant rocket

4th Qtr FY1997

-- A nontoxic monopropellantchemical system with 25% greaterperformance than current systemswill be developed to support smallsatellite missions. On schedule.

Complete developmentand demonstration of arefrigerator/ freezer forSpace Station

4th Qtr FY1996

TDB This breadboardrefrigerator/freezerwould storebiological specimens on the SpaceStation. Funding constraints forceddelay of this effort. Completionwould be managed and funded bythe Space Station.

Demonstrate advancedNi-Hydrogen battery

4th Qtr FY1997

-- This battery will deliver 100 wattsper kilogram and have a 10-yearlife in LEO, approximately twicethe performance of currentbatteries. On schedule.

Complete development ofa 20-GHz System-LevelIntegrated Circuit(SLIC)/MonolithicMicrowave IntegratedCircuit (MMIC)4-element phased arrayantenna system

September1996

July 1997 This work will support the satelliteindustry in developing lessexpensive satellite antennas.

Reduce size and weight ofa communication systemby 2-3 times.

4th Qtr FY1997

-- Reductions will be achieved byintegrating an advanced,space-based 20-Ghz phased-arrayantenna system in acommunications network. Onschedule.

Complete development ofa high-efficiency modemfor satellite applications

3rd QtrFY 1997

-- The new asynchronous transfermode device will transmit 155million bits per second in hybridspace/terrestrial systems to provideefficient digital communicationssystems for the NationalInformation Infrastructure(NII)/Broad Band GlobalInformation Infrastructure (GII).On schedule.

Pulse Plasma Thruster(PPT)

2nd QtrFY 1998

-- Deliver insertion-class PPT forjoint NASA/Air Force flightdemonstration of this technology,which is important for orbittransfer and maintenance functions.On schedule.

Develop wide-bandlow-powerelectronically-tuned localoscillator sources up to1.3 THz

3rd QtrFY 1998

-- This technology supports plannedastronomy missions such as theFar Infrared and SubmillimeterSpace Telescope (FIRST) missionto spectroscopically measure thechemical, make-up of interstellargasses and nebula. On schedule.

Provide and fly roboticsample acquisitionmanipulator for the MarsSurveyor mission

3rd QtrFY 1998

-- Advanced robotics technologiesallow this sample acquisitionmanipulator to exceed thecapabilities of the Viking landermanipulator, while occupying lessthan 20% of the mass and 20% ofthe stowed volume of thatmanipulator.

Conduct on-orbit Rangertelerobotic flightexperiment

4th Qtr FY1998

-- This experiment will demonstratemultiple on-orbit robotic servicingcapabilities, relevant to sciencepayload servicing and SpaceStation assembly and maintenance.On schedule.

Develop a small advancedmonopropellant rocketengine

4th Qtr FY1998

-- Fabricate and test flight-typenontoxic monopropellant systemdeveloped in FY 97. On schedule.

Demonstrate 25%efficientproduction-quality solarcells

4th Qtr FY1997

4th Qtr FY1998

Pilot production of these efficient,new multi-band gap, large formatsolar cells will be done in FY 98.On revised schedule.

Advanced flight computerprogram

4th Qtr FY1998

-- Deliver ultra low power electronicshardware to the New MillenniumDS-1 spacecraft program. Onschedule.


Spacecraft Systems Technology

In FY 1996, the Spacecraft Systems Technology program focused on smaller, more efficient,lower-cost sub-systems and systems. The on-board propulsion program demonstrated asmall, pulsed-plasma, electric propulsion system for efficient orbital position and trajectorycontrol of small spacecraft, and conducted a performance demonstration of a non-toxicmonopropellent chemical system. Advanced photovoltaic cells with 24% efficiency weredemonstrated and a program exploring dynamic energy storage was initiated. Studies werealso initiated on advanced energy conversion methods to reduce the amount of radioisotopeneeded for deep space missions by up to 5 times. Low temperature electronic power systemcomponents were characterized at very low temperatures (~10 degrees K) for operation in veryharsh deep space environments. In space data systems, a 3-D stacked, multi-chip, 1 Gbit, solidstate memory module was built to replace data recorders. It is 10 times lighter and smaller thancurrent systems.

In FY 1997, the spacecraft systems technology program element is continuing to focus onincreasing the performance of spacecraft systems by at least 2 times, while decreasing massand volume by 2-3 times and cutting costs about 2-3 times over the best available currentsystems. The on-board propulsion program will continue development of high-efficiencyelectric propulsion technology for orbital insertion and maintenance. Electric propulsiontechnology can reduce trip times for deep space missions by 3 times. The space powerprogram will demonstrate battery technology to double the life of current batteries in LEO andphotovoltaic technology to increase efficiency by 40%. Combined with lightweight array

refrigerator/freezer for use on the International Space Station will be demonstrated. The flightdata systems program will demonstrate a complete 3-D stacked, multi-module avionicsarchitecture that is 10 times smaller than current spacecraft avionics systems. In addition,guidance/navigation algorithms will be validated for autonomous cruise and maneuver control.

In FY 1998, within the cross-cutting technology arena of power, efforts on photovoltaicconcentrators with advanced concentrator cells, optics, and arrays, will lead to the firstoperational space flight of this technology. The program is expected to demonstrate that thesetechnologies provide comparable power to the best SOA solar arrays at half the cost. Effortswill continue on advanced battery developments, such as bipolar nickel metal hydride andnickel hydride, as well as on power component/management systems with the potentialbenefits of reduced cost, increased specific energy, increased energy density and reducedweight. Flywheel storage systems are being researched and characterized in conjunction withU.S. companies investing private sector funds. Flywheel systems have the potential of10-times better system performance (kW/kg) than battery systems in low-Earth orbit (LEO)due to greatly simplified power management. In the area of electric propulsion, both advancedelectrostatic (ion and Hall) systems and pulsed plasma thrusters will be developed. Highperformance electrostatic systems are important for government and commercial orbit transferand maintenance functions for deep space missions. Pulsed plasma thrusters are required forboth the precision positioning of science spacecraft and the insertion and control of bothgovernment and commercial satellites. In chemical propulsion, efforts will concentrate on highperformance bipropellant engines for both sample return missions and satellite orbit insertionsand on the continued development of advanced non-toxic monopropellant systems for low-cost science and commercial spacecraft. Miniature systems for small spacecraft will continueto be a priority in all areas of on-board propulsion. Miniaturization of spacecraft electronicsystems offers the potential to revolutionize most space exploration missions. Low-powersystems, including ultra-low-power CMOS micro-power management and distributionsystems designed for low-power switching and low-power synthesis, will be developed anddelivered for on-orbit flight demonstration. Highly integrated reliable, low-power, non-volatiledata storage, such as holographic storage, will be developed and demonstrated.

Instrument/Sensing Technology

In FY 1996, the program continued to work with industry, universities, and other governmentlaboratories to develop instrument technologies for Earth and planetary science, astrophysicsand space physics applications. These technologies include development of cooled anduncooled large-format infrared, as well as visible, ultraviolet, x-ray, and high-energy detectorarrays. For sensitive astrophysics observations in the submillimeter region of theelectromagnetic spectrum, an 800 GHz submillimeter mixer was demonstrated in FY 1996.

Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology was utilized in several FY 1996efforts: a prototype package for a Mars/Earth upper atmosphere micro-weather station was

completed; a high-performance, integrated "camera-on-a-chip" active pixel sensor forminiature imaging systems was demonstrated; and the components for an integratedfree-flying magnetometer "spacecraft-on-a-chip" were tested.

Also in FY 1996, a technology testbed for an advanced infrared telescope with twice thecollecting area, half the mass, and one- third the diffraction-limited wavelength of thepreviously flown Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) was completed at the JPL cryogenicoptical test facility. Cryogenic optical testing was completed and the technology has beensuccessfully transferred to the SIRTF project.

The program also increased emphasis in 1996 on developing sensor and instrumenttechnology for compact, low-cost space radar systems that can be used with small spacecraft(incorporating deployable arrays) to increase the spectrum of space-based Earth or planetaryobservations.

In FY 1997, Instrument/Sensing technology will continue to focus on expanded spectrumperformance and micro-miniaturization for both Earth and space science. Program emphasiswill be increased in the areas of space Interferometry to support ultrahigh resolution astronomymissions and extra-solar planetary exploration programs. The development of sensor andinstrument technology for compact, low-cost space radar systems continues in FY 1997 withthe goal of enabling a low-cost flight demonstration of lightweight synthetic aperture radartechnology. The program will also support deployable concepts for highly efficient packagingof solar arrays, optics, etc. to enable spacecraft with large collecting surfaces to be launched insmaller launch vehicles. A very high frequency (2.5 Thz) submillimeter receiver will bedemonstrated to measure a component of the upper atmosphere ozone chemistry that currentlycannot be monitored from space.

In FY 1998, emphasis will continue on micro-electro-mechanical systems technology neededto fabricate new-generation sensors, actuators, and integrated micro-instrument systems.NASA will demonstrate improved prototypes of MEMS-based microthrusters, componentsfor guidance control, radio frequency (RF) switches, microresonators, and microvalves as itcontinues to improve performance-to-cost ratio as well as reduce size, weight, anddevelopment cycle time over conventional counterparts. Low-cost, accurate microsensors forin-situ measurement systems are needed to support new atmospheric research programs.Technology will be developed to support this activity through deployable instruments for fieldand operational testing with network lander systems. Submillimeter heterodyne astronomymissions will be supported by providing planary diodes that are more reliable and easier tomanufacture. Wide-band, low-power, electronically-tuned local oscillator sources to 1300 Ghzwill be developed for astrophysics applications such as the European Space Agency's FarInfrared and Submillimeter Space Telescope (FIRST). This technology will enablespectroscopic measurement of the gases that make up interstellar nebulae.

Autonomy and Operations

In FY 1996, the operations program focused on reducing overall mission costs by improvingspacecraft and ground systems. The program encompassed artificial intelligence applications toreduce direct dependence on human operators and on the people retrieving and analyzing data.This technology aims at improving the return on investment in science data and the extractionof critical information on spacecraft health from returned operating performance data. Asoftware architecture for highly autonomous spacecraft was demonstrated. This activityincluded onboard command sequence development and validation for autonomous maneuvers,for science instrument control and for onboard data reduction prior to downlinking. Byprocessing the data on board the spacecraft, the costs of data management and analysis can bereduced by a factor of at least ten.

In FY 1997, the Remote Agent architecture for the New Millennium DS-1 spacecraft will bedelivered. This architecture contains an onboard planner/scheduler, an intelligent real-time faultmonitoring and systems executive, that will support execution of planned sequences whenresponding to unexpected events. The Beacon Operations capability for the DS-1 satellite, willpermit "on-call" rather than full-time mission operations. The Beacon Operations capabilitydownloads engineering data to permit ground personnel to identify the problem and upload asolution. Also in FY 1997, methods for advanced onboard autonomy, called the TOPEXAutonomous Maneuver Planning and Execution (TAME) experiment will be tested.

In FY 1998, the Autonomy and Operations program will implement a set of RegionalValidation Centers (RVCs) which will evaluate our capability to enable a massive increase inthe number of users of Earth sensing satellite data. An RVC consists of a very low-costground station for directly receiving satellite data, processing, archiving, retrieving andanalyzing it. It will contain an advanced suite of artificial intelligence tools for data fusion,mining, analysis and visualization. We will also be developing methods for increasing theautonomy of satellites by doing onboard science data operations. This includes the ability fororbiting satellites to automatically detect and catalogue all instances of a selected entity such assmall volcanoes, and reduce communications bandwidth and power requirements bydownloading only the results, and not all of the data.

Telerobotics

In FY 1996, the Telerobotics program completed the development of the Sojourner rover, a10-Kg microrover that will conduct operations on the surface of Mars as part of the MarsPathfinder mission in FY 1997. At the end of the fiscal year, the completed rover wasdelivered to the flight program for integration into the spacecraft, on schedule and underbudget. Assembly of a lunar rover testbed was completed, and initial field tests of the traversecapabilities were conducted. These field tests included 40-Km traverses of a simulated lunarsurface with the rover operating under supervisory control and safeguarded teleoperation.

Initial work on the development of very small "nano-rover" systems was performed,culminating in the demonstration of a 100-gram nano-rover prototype which performed theMars Pathfinder mission scenario. This work will eventually lead to an equivalent level ofcapability packaged within a 10-gram, 1-cubic centimeter form factor.

In FY 1997, NASA will conduct operations of the 10-kilogram (kg) Sojourner microrover onMars as part of the Mars Pathfinder mission. The rover will provide images of the lander toassess its condition on the planet's surface; emplace an alpha-proton-x-ray spectrometer todetermine the composition of rocks and soil samples; and conduct multiple technologyexperiments to lead the way for routine use of small rovers to explore Mars. The program willalso continue development of the next generation of planetary surface micro-rovers, targeting a50% reduction in rover mass and volume and development of technologies for planetary andsmall body sample collection, preservation and autonomous analysis by FY 1998. Theseautonomous rover technologies will also be applied to terrestrial problems, through theRobotics Engineering Consortium. This year, the first of these developments - a roboticagricultural harvester capable of conducting field crop operations without a human driver onboard - will be completed and commercialized by the industrial partners in the project. Inaddition, the telerobotics program will complete development of the AERCam/Sprint flightexperiment, a robotic "flying eye" for visualization and inspection of science and Space Stationpayloads. This system will demonstrate the use of advanced robotics technology to reduceEVA astronaut requirements for science payload servicing, and represents the first in a seriesof cooperative human EVA/robotic systems to be developed for on-orbit servicing operations.Management and funding of AERCAM moves to the Office of Space Flight in FY 1998.

In FY 1998, the program will complete the implementation and delivery of a robotic samplingmanipulator which will be incorporated into the Mars Surveyor spacecraft, to be launched atthe end of the year. This manipulator will provide a sample acquisition capability similar to thatof the Viking lander, but will occupy less than 20% of the stowed volume and take less than20% of the mass of the previous manipulator. The program will continue field tests of thelunar rover technology testbed in the Antarctic, simultaneously testing lunar rover controlmodes and evaluating the technology for possible applications to search operations forAntarctic meteorites. These field tests will also complete the evaluation of VEVI technology, avirtual reality-based control architecture which supports immersive display and visualizationtechnology as the primary operator interface, permitting a more intuitive interface whichminimizes operator training requirements and expands utilization of the interface data. Also, inFY 1998 the Ranger telerobotic technology experiment will be flown as a Space Shuttlepayload. The experiment will demonstrate multiple advanced robotics technologies, includingadvanced ground control, autonomous operations, telepresence control, low-cost manipulatorsystems, and robotic servicing technologies.

Communications

In FY 1996, using high data rate terminals activated in 1995, we demonstrated satelliteconnectivity among super computers at a data rate of 622 Mbps. This effort enabled fastdistribution of scientific data among research laboratories in the U.S. This will be the first timethat such widely distributed research centers were connected through satellites.

In FY 1997, NASA and industry will work together to demonstrate wide-bandcommunications integrating space and terrestrial systems. Standards, protocols andinteroperability for a world-wide, seamless multimedia network will be developed anddemonstrated. The wide-band-capable new terminals will support the first real-time, livetransmissions of telescience, tele-education, and remote sensing information. Technologydemonstrations will be completed that combine real-time, aeronautical and maritime,high-data-rate communications enabling communications at a rate about 10 times greater thanis possible today. The advanced antenna system will use a System-Level Integrated Circuit(SLIC)/Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) 4-element phased-array antennasystem in a communications network. The effort is a partnership with the satellite industry toreduce the cost of satellite phased-array antennas. A new asynchronous transfer mode devicewill transmit 155 million bits per second in hybrid space/terrestrial systems to provide efficientdigital communications systems for the National Information Infrastructure (NII)/Broad BandGlobal.

In FY 1998, NASA will take the leadership to establish a testbed for seamlessly interoperablesatellite and terrestrial networks to be called SPACENET. This testbed will be a continuationand expansion of NASA's effort to demonstrate hybrid networks operating at 155 millions bitsper second. The focus of this testbed is to help solve the problem of seamless interoperabilityin satellite and terrestrial communications and to advance NASA and commercial applicationsin the NII/Global Information Infrastructure (GII). Many experiments will take place todemonstrate satellite unique capabilities and their potential contribution to the GII. Theprogram will put additional emphasis in the technology development of a high data rate (above350 Mbps) optical communications terminal for NASA and commercial applications. Manynew NASA missions require the capability provided by optical communications.

MISSION OPERATIONS AND DATA ANALYSIS


HST operations and servicing 190,700 202,000 163,800

HST data analysis 43,500 40,900 45,700

AXAF mission operations and data analysis 40,400 41,300 45,400

GGS mission operations and data analysis 26,500 25,500 15,700

COSTR mission operations and data analysis 31,900 28,400 8,500

GRO mission operations and data analysis 13,700 10,600 4,000

Galileo operations 71,500 64,400 29,800

Cassini mission operations and data analysis -- -- 38,100

NEAR operations 4,900 1,400 9,500

Mars surveyor operations -- 16,400 19,600

Mars pathfinder operations -- 9,600 5,800

Lunar prospector operations -- 800 4,300

Planetary flight support 49,400 42,900 36,600

Other mission operations and data analysis 91,100 99,100 80,600

Total 563,600 583,300 507,400

PROGRAM GOALS

The goal of the Mission Operations and Data Analysis (MO&DA) program is to maximizethe scientific return from NASA's investment in spacecraft and other data collection sources.The MO&DA effort is fundamental to achieving the goals of the Office of Space Science(OSS) program because it funds the operations of the data collecting hardware and the dataanalysis that produces scientific discoveries. Funding supports satellite operations during theperformance of the core missions, extended operations of selected spacecraft, and ongoinganalysis of data after the usable life of spacecraft has expired. Funding also supports pre-flightpreparations for satellite operations and data analysis activities, and long-term data archiving

Currently, 22 operational missions (23 spacecraft) are supported. Astrophysics missionsinclude the Hubble Space Telescope (HST, 1990), the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory(CGRO, 1991), the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE, 1995), the Extreme UltravioletExplorer (EUVE, 1992), U.S. participation in the international Roentgen Satellite(ROSAT, 1990), Japanese Astro-D/ASCA (1993), and the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO).Space physics missions include FAST (1996), Polar (1996), SOHO (1995), Wind (1994),Geotail (1992), SAMPEX (1992), Yohkoh (1991), Ulysses (1990), Voyager 1 and 2 (1977),Pioneer 10 (1972), and the Interplanetary Monitoring Platform (IMP-8, 1973). Planetarymissions include Galileo (1989), the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR, 1996), MarsGlobal Surveyor (1996), and Mars Pathfinder (1996).


Hubble Space Telescope (HST) science operations are carried out through an independent HSTScience Institute, which operates under a long-term contract with NASA. Satellite operations,including telemetry, flight operations and initial science data transcription, are performedon-site at Goddard Space Flight Center under separate contract. While NASA retainsoperational responsibility for the observatory, the Science Institute plans, manages, andschedules the scientific operations. In a single year of operations, the activities of over500 scientists are supported under the HST program, and over 15,000 observations arerecorded. In order to extend its operational life and provide a basis for future enhancements ofits scientific capabilities, HST is designed to be serviceable. This requires on-orbit maintenanceand replacement of spacecraft subsystems and scientific instruments about every three years.Ongoing modification and upkeep of system ground operations are also performed.

Pre-launch operations funding for the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF)program supports the development of a ground control system and a science operations center,and preparation for flight system operation. The AXAF Science Center (ASC) in Boston,developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), supports x-ray calibration ofthe flight mirror assembly and instruments using a precursor of the AXAF data system duringthe pre-launch phase of the program. NASA has recently decided that AXAF operations willbe conducted from a control center at the ASC, rather than at MSFC. This decision was madepursuant to the Zero Base Review team recommendation that AXAF be managed by anInstitute.

Global Geospace Science (GGS) MO&DA funds two space physics missions, Wind andPolar. Wind measures the energy, mass, and momentum that the solar wind delivers to theEarth's magnetosphere. Wind also carries a gamma ray instrument, the first Russianinstrument ever to be flown on a U.S. spacecraft. Polar provides dramatic images of the auroraand complementary measurements to provide a direct measure of the energy and massdeposited from the solar wind into the polar ionosphere and upper atmosphere.

Collaborative Solar-Terrestrial Research (COSTR) MO&DA funds the SOHO and Geotailmissions. SOHO studies the solar interior by measuring the oscillations of the surface. SOHOalso investigates the hot outer atmosphere of the Sun that generates the variable solar wind andUV and x-ray emissions affecting the Earth's upper atmosphere, the geospace environment,and the heliosphere. Geotail is a Japan-U.S. spacecraft that explored the deep geomagnetic tailin its first two years of flight and now is exploring the near-tail region on the night side and themagnetopause on the dayside of the earth. SOHO, Geotail, Wind, and Polar are the corespacecraft of the International Solar Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) program.

The Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO) measures gamma-rays, providing uniqueinformation on phenomena occurring in quasars, active galaxies, black holes, neutron stars,and supernova, as well as on the nature of the mysterious cosmic gamma-ray bursts.

Galileo is executing a series of close flybys of Jupiter and its moons, Ganymede, Callisto andEuropa, studying surface properties, gravity fields, and magnetic fields, and characterizing themagnetospheric environment of Jupiter and the circulation of the Great Red Spot of Jupiter.

Cassini will launch in FY 1998 and will perform initial activities in support of the seven-yearcruise to Saturn. Efforts will be underway to ensure proper trajectory through tracking andappropriate targeting maneuvers of the Cassini spacecraft. The health of science instrumentswill be maintained by periodic checkouts.

The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission was launched in February 1996, andwill arrive at the asteroid 433 Eros in February 1999.

Mars Surveyor operations commenced with the launch of Mars Global Surveyor in November1996. The spacecraft will reach Mars in September 1997 and will begin maneuvers to achieveits desired mapping orbit.

Mars Pathfinder operations commenced at launch in December 1996. The spacecraft will landon Mars on July 4, 1997, and begin science operations shortly thereafter.

Lunar Prospector will begin operations after launch in September 1997.

The Planetary Flight Support (PFS) program provides ground system hardware, software, andmission support for all deep space missions. Planetary flight support activities are associatedwith the design and development of multi-mission ground operation systems for deep spaceand high-Earth orbiting spacecraft. The program also provides mission control, tracking,telemetry, and command functions for all spacecraft utilizing the Deep Space Network (DSN).At present, PFS supports ongoing mission operations for Voyager, Ulysses, Galileo, MarsPathfinders, and Mars Global Surveyor. PFS also supports the development of generic

Multi-mission ground system upgrades such as the Advanced Multi-mission OperationsSystem (AMMOS). This new capability is designed to significantly improve our ability tomonitor spacecraft systems, resulting in reduced workforce levels and increased operationsefficiencies for Cassini and future planetary missions. New missions in the Discovery andMars Surveyor programs will work closely with the Planetary Flight Support Office to designground systems developed at minimum cost, in reduced time, with greater capabilities, andable to operate at reduced overall mission operations costs. The PFS program also supports thetools, personnel and policy implementation of the Resource Allocation Planning (RAP) teamwhich collates, analyzes and identifies the conflicts associated with Deep Space Network(DSN) tracking requests in order to maximize science and mission return.

The Other MO&DA budget funds a variety of (mostly smaller) missions. RXTE uses threeinstruments to conduct timing studies of x-ray sources. EUVE is studying the sky atwavelengths once believed to be completely absorbed by the thin gas between the stars. U.S.observers continue to enjoy 50% of the observing time (shared with Germany and the UK)from the highly successful ROSAT X-ray satellite. The Japanese/U.S. Astro-D/ASCAspacecraft is conducting spatially resolved spectroscopic observations of selected cosmic x-raysources. The European Space Agency's ISO mission conducts high-sensitivity spectroscopicmeasurements of infrared astronomy sources, with the participation of a significant number ofU.S. scientists. FAST is a low-altitude polar orbit satellite designed to measure the electricfields and rapid particle accelerations that occur along magnetic field lines above auroras.Extremely high data rates (burst modes) are required to detect the presence and characteristicsof the fundamental effects taking place. SAMPEX is measuring the composition of solarenergetic particles, anomalous cosmic rays, and galactic cosmic rays. The Yohkoh spacecraft,a cooperative program with the Japanese, is continuing to gather x-ray and spectroscopic dataon solar flares and the corona. Ulysses is currently studying the Sun's polar regions,measuring the interplanetary medium and solar wind as a function of heliographic latitude.Voyager 1 and 2 and Pioneer 10 are continuing to probe the outer heliosphere and look for theheliospheric boundary with interstellar space as they travel beyond the planets. IMP-8performs near-continuous studies of the interplanetary environment for orbital periodscomparable to several rotations of the active solar regions.


Hubble Space Telescope



Cargo IntegrationReview for theSecond ServicingMission

March1996

March 1996Completed the coordination of HSTflight hardware and carriers with JSCshuttle payload integration.

Advanced CameraSystem CriticalDesign Review

April 1996 April 1996 Validate design maturity in preparationfor system fabrication

DeliverNICMOS/STIS toGSFC

August1996

August 1996 Instrument development activitiescompleted; instruments shipped toGSFC to begin final integration andtesting

2nd ServicingMission

February1997

-- Replace Faint Object Spectrometer(FOS) and Goddard High ResolutionSpectrometer (GHRS) with SpaceTelescope Imaging Spectrograph(STIS); add Near-Infrared Camera andMultiobject Spectrometer (NICMOS)instrument; replace other hardware asrequired. On schedule.

On-Line Release 1 February1996

February 1996 First major delivery of on-line systemhardware and software for integratedsystems testing

Advanced CameraSystem AlignmentCompleted

September1997

-- Complete optical alignment inpreparation for final integration andtest, prior to shipment to GSFC. Onschedule.

Advanced Cameradelivered to GSFC

July 1998 -- Allows for final testing prior toshipment to the launch site. Onschedule.

AXAF



AXAF ScienceCenter End-to EndCDR

January1997

-- Validate design maturity in preparationfor ASC system development. Onschedule

Ground systemsready to supportIntegration and Test

July 1997 -- Able to proceed with spacecraftintegration and test activities. Onschedule.

Ground SystemRelease #4

December1997

-- Full functionality of ground systemhardware and software. The completedsystem will be used by the flightoperations team in CY 1998 duringtraining before launch. On schedule.

Galileo



Return Probe Data May 1996 May 1996 All probe data sent to and stored on theorbiter transmitted to Earth. Criticalelement of overall mission objectives.Completed May 1996.

Return Io and JupiterEncounter Data

July 1996 July 1996 Transmit to Earth, science data andimagery from encounters with Jupiterand its moon Io.

Ganymede Encounter July 1996 July 1996 Transmit all science data and imageryfrom two Ganymede encounters in1996 to Earth. Data relay wascompleted in July 1996.

Callisto Encounter November1996

November 1996 Encounter and data playback weresuccessfully executed.

Europa Encounter December1996

December 1996 Execute closest ever flyby of Europaand transmit playback data.

Various Encounters 1997 and1998

-- Execute 2 Europa, 2 Ganymede and 2Callisto encounters and transmitplayback data approximately 2 monthsafter encounter.

NEAR

Mathilde Encounter June 1997 -- Flyby the asteroid Mathilde, largestasteroid (60 km diameter) observed byspacecraft. On schedule.

Mars Global Surveyor

Mars orbit insertion September1997

-- Burn to insert into Mars capture orbit.On schedule.

Initiate MappingOperations

March1998

-- Initiate 2 years of science dataacquisition on Mars composition,topography, atmosphere, and magneticfields. On schedule.

Mars Pathfinder

Mars Landing July 1997 -- Lander lands on Martian surface,transmits engineering and science databack to Earth. On schedule

Cassini

Deep SpaceManeuver

March1998

-- Burn to target first Venus-Flybygravity assist. On schedule.

Venus Flyby April 1998 -- First Venus flyby gravity assist. Onschedule

Planetary Flight Support

Begin CassiniPre-LaunchOperations

August1996

August 1996 Initiate pre-launch softwaredevelopment for telemetry, commandmission control, data management,and Multi-mission spacecraft analysissystem in support of flight operations.

Mars GlobalSurveyor GroundSystem

August1996

August 1996 Hardware and telemetry and commandsoftware to support launch of the MarsGlobal Surveyor spacecraft

Mars PathfinderGround System

August1996

August 1996 Complete development and testing ofmodifications to the Multi-missionGround System to support launch ofMars Pathfinder mission.

Cassini SpacecraftAnalysis System

October1996

October 1996 Completed development and testing ofBuild 2 of the Multi-missionSpacecraft Analysis System (MSAS)to support the Cassini mission.

Provide and updatetools for theMulti-missionGround System forall missions

(ongoing) -- Ground system and power supply arebeing continuously updated to makethem more robust in avoiding serviceinterruptions as well as morecost-effective.

Science results and education

NASA's Space Science spacecraft continue to generate a stream of scientific discoveries. Manyof these findings are of broad interest to the general public, as witnessed by widespread mediacoverage. NASA is also finding ways to partner with the education community in order tostrengthen science, technology, and mathematics education.

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is fulfilling the promises NASA made for it, generatingan ongoing stream of major scientific discoveries. HST is creating great public interest asmeasured by frequent major news and television reports. HST images are also beingdistributed to school children nationwide through NASA's national "Teacher ResourceLaboratory" system. In a comparative review of eleven astrophysics MO&DA programs, anexternal panel of senior scientists judged HST to have the highest science merit, based on totalscience as well as on a science-per-dollar basis. Hubble results in the last year include:

Two international teams of astronomers using HST reported major progress in converging onan accurate measurement of the Universe's rate of expansion -- the Hubble constant -- a valuethat has been debated for over half a century. The new results yield ranges for the age of theUniverse from 9-12 billion years, and 11-14 billion years, respectively. The goal of the projectis to measure the Hubble Constant to ten percent accuracy.

Dramatic HST images of Evaporating Gaseous Globules, or "EGGs", in the Eagle nebula(also known as M16), reveal the process of new star formation and how young hot stars limitthe sizes of nearby stars that form later.

The Hubble Deep Field (HDF) image, covering a speck of the sky only about the width of adime located 75 feet away, shows a bewildering assortment of at least 1,500 galaxies atvarious stages of evolution.

For the first time, astronomers have seen details on the surface of Pluto. Hubble's snapshots ofnearly the entire surface of Pluto, taken as the planet rotated through a 6.4-day period, showthat Pluto is a complex object, with more large-scale contrast than any planet, except Earth.

Probing the mysterious heart of the Crab Nebula, the tattered remains of a stellar cataclysmwitnessed more than 900 years ago, astronomers using HST have found that the Crab is evenmore dynamic than previously understood, based on a cosmic "movie" assembled from aseries of Hubble observations. The results promise to shed new light on a variety of highenergy phenomena in the universe, from nearby neutron stars to remote quasars.

HST revealed a grouping of 18 gigantic star clusters that appear to be the same distance fromEarth, and close enough to each other that they will eventually merge into a few galaxy- sized

objects. They are so far away, 11 billion light-years, that they existed during the epoch when itis commonly believed galaxies started to form. These results add weight to a leading theorythat galaxies grew by starting out as clumps of stars, which, through a complex series ofencounters, consolidated into larger assemblages that we see as fully formed galaxies today.

HST images have shown that quasars live in a remarkable variety of galaxies, many of whichare violently colliding. This complicated picture suggests there may be a variety ofmechanisms -- some quite subtle -- for "turning on" quasars, the universe's most energeticobjects.

The Wind spacecraft found itself immersed in a magnetic cloud for 30 hours in October 1995,and provided an unusual level of coordination among different spacecraft in the ISTP program.Wind is also conducting detailed studies of the interaction of the moon with the solar wind,and has been used in conjunction with Ulysses to triangulate type III solar bursts so that theglobal magnetic field in the interplanetary medium can be mapped. Wind has resolved theisotopic components of the solar and anomalous cosmic rays.

The Polar satellite has made several significant observations in its first months of operation.These include observation of complete substorms in a sequence of UV and X-ray images; theobservation of magnetic re-connection signatures in high latitude particle data tailward of thepolar cusps; unusually strong electric field signatures in the near-Earth horns of the plasmasheet; and the construction of mid-latitude plasma images resulting from energetic neutralatoms.

Geotail discovered that atmospheric oxygen ions far out (900,000 miles) in the Earth'smagnetic tail are accelerated to extremely high speeds, in excess of a million miles an hour.The Geotail spacecraft has established the importance of flux ropes in the Earth's magnetotail.This will displace the long-accepted picture of plasmoids as an important phenomenon in themagnetotail. Geotail also detected two different types of "breathing" of the Earth's magnetotail,the "windsock effect" and "magnetospheric substorms". The "breathing" phenomenon iscurrently being investigated.

Galileo's atmospheric probe was released in July 1995 and successfully entered Jupiter'satmosphere shortly before Galileo was successfully inserted into Jupiter orbit December 7,1995. The Orbiter is partially through its 23-month study of the Jovian system, and will orbitthe giant planet 11 times. Galileo completed the return of the probe data as well as new scienceand images from Jupiter and encounters with the four Galilean satellites, Io, Ganymede,Europa and Callisto, in 1996. Among the most important discoveries are the intrinsic magneticfield of Io; the probable iron core of Io; the intrinsic magnetic field of Ganymede; the lack ofan intrinsic magnetic field on Callisto; and evidence that Callisto's interior is undifferentiated.In-situ measurements during the Galileo probe's descent into Jupiter's atmosphere inDecember 1995 produced a wealth of results; the most significant findings are that there is

much less water vapor than expected, and that winds persist much deeper into the atmospherethan expected. Galileo has also provided images of Europa that indicate the possibility of liquidwater on that moon. Additional information on Europa will be provided in the data from theDecember 1996 Galileo fly-by, the closest encounter to date with Europa.

Ulysses has completed its historic mission over the poles of the Sun during a period ofminimum solar activity, and has discovered global differences in the fast and slow solar windfrom the equator to the poles. Ulysses also determined that interstellar dust does reach into theinner solar system, and that the velocity and direction of interstellar dust compares well withthat of interstellar helium. Another major discovery is that the magnitude of the radialcomponent of the Sun's magnetic field is uniform in the north and south polar regions and inthe equatorial region, and that the solar wind is expanding from the pole to the equator.

In 1983-1984 and again in 1992-1993, Voyagers 1 and 2 detected strong radio emissionsbursts. A strong case can now be made that these bursts were triggered by the interaction of aninterplanetary shock with one of the outer boundaries of the heliosphere. Voyagers 1 and 2,and Pioneer 10 are all monitoring anomalous cosmic ray fluxes that are particularly importantto understand the structure of the heliosphere. Exploration of the heliosphere by thesespacecraft, along with the Ulysses and the Earth-anchored IMP-8, constitutes the largest scalein-situ astrophysical investigation ever. It has taken more than two decades for the spacecraft toreach these positions. Pioneer 10 has traveled farther from the Sun than any other humanartifact.

Nineteen years of IMP-8 mass flux data have been compared against solar neutrino fluxes.Results show that the solar wind mass flux and neutrino flux vary together, and may indicatethe neutrino property's ability to interact with magnetic fields in the solar convection zone.IMP-8 continues to provide fundamental solar wind observations needed to improve theunderstanding and interpretation of the events observed within the magnetosphere by theGGS/ISTP spacecraft.

SAMPEX is a Small Explorer mission that uses the Earth's magnetic field as a giant magnetspectrometer to measure energetic electrons and ions from a polar orbit of about 500 kmaltitude. SAMPEX has been studying the increases in the Van Allen belt radiation, and thesolar particle and cosmic radiation. SAMPEX is helping to find what causes these increasesand to predict them. This data is important, in part because of radiation effects on spacecraftelectronics, human spaceflight and the Earth's atmosphere, and also because the data revealsbasic information about the Sun and the Universe. SAMPEX has found atoms frominterstellar space in the Van Allen belts and the electrons from Jupiter over the Earth's poles,and many new facts about the solar wind and how the Sun interacts with the galaxy.

Yohkoh has revealed that the Sun appears 100 times dimmer at x-ray wavelengths today thanin 1991. It has also discovered that the hottest parts of flares are frequently located at the top of

high arch structures on the solar surface. Novel data analysis has been performed onYOHKOH images to revel solar dynamic effects not previously apparent.

FAST began operations late in 1996, and instruments are meeting design requirements. Burstmode measurements reveal the nature of electric fields, plasma processes, and accelerationmechanisms on time scales down to milliseconds.

Mission Operations and Future Plans

The Space Science program continues to make progress in lowering MO&DA costs whilepreserving the science return from operating missions. The program is utilizing the savings,and seeking additional costs reductions, in order to sustain operations of ongoing missions aslong as is merited by the science return. The science community both inside and outside ofNASA regularly reviews the mission operations program to ensure that only the missionswith the highest return are funded. In addition, we are launching smaller spacecraft, andengaging in more international collaborations. As a result, NASA expects to be able to supportan increasing number of operational spacecraft through FY 1998 despite a significantlyreduced MO&DA budget. In total, NASA expects to be funding 29 operational Space Sciencespacecraft at the end of FY 1998, compared to 18 at the beginning of FY 1995. Missionsexpected to begin operations before the end of FY 1998 include the Japanese VSOP(international SVLBI program, 1/97), Lunar Prospector (9/97), Cassini (10/97), ACE (12/97),TRACE (12/97), the European international Equator-S (late 1997), AXAF (8/98), and theSubmillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS, TBD).

Occasionally, Space Science mission operations must be terminated, as a result of hardwarefailure and/or declining science output per dollar. The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE)ceased operations in September 1996 after more than 18 years of highly successful datagathering. The Pioneer mission series will be terminated on March 31, 1997 as the lastspacecraft in the series, Pioneer 10, runs out of power. The European Infrared SpaceObservatory (ISO) is expected to cease operations in mid-1997 after it runs out of cryogens.

HST reached a milestone several years sooner than scientists expected when it snapped its100,000th exposure on June 22, 1996. Space Telescope Science Institute officials largelyattribute the achievement to better management of telescope observing time. This allows HSTto put out more interesting scientific results to more astronomers and to the public.

Planning and hardware development in preparation for the next HST servicing mission inFebruary 1997 continues on schedule. The manifest includes two new scientific instruments:the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) and the Space TelescopeImaging Spectrograph (STIS). In addition, one of the tape recorders will be replaced with astate-of-the-art Solid State Recorder (SSR). One of the Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS) is alsomanifested for replacement along with some electronics. Other servicing missions are planned

for 1999, 2002 and 2005. Development of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), a newscience instrument to be installed during the late 1999 servicing mission, continues onschedule.

The first major deliveries of AXAF ground hardware and software for integrated systemstesting were completed early in CY 1996, as scheduled. The ground system will be sufficientlyfunctional to support spacecraft testing in the summer of 1997. Full functionality is scheduledfor December 1997, allowing the flight operations team to train for several months prior tolaunch of AXAF in August 1998.

NEAR launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a Delta II on February 17, 1996. Itwill flyby the asteroid Mathilde in June 1997 and shortly thereafter fire its propulsion systemto adjust its orbital path. In January 1998, it will swing by the Earth to achieve the properinclination to the elliptic plane to rendezvous with EROS. In January 1999, NEAR will comewithin 1000 km of EROS and fire its thrusters several times to orbit the asteroid. For the nextyear, it will take measurements of EROS at various orbit altitudes. Spacecraft operations willbe completed in January 2000.

The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission was launched from Cape Canaveral Air ForceStation aboard a Delta II 7925 on November 7, 1996. After a 10-month cruise, ending inSeptember 1997, MGS will use a combination of thruster firings and aerobraking for a periodof four months to reach a nearly circular mapping orbit. Mapping operations are scheduled tobegin in March 1998. MGS will maintain the low circular orbit for two years for the primemapping portion of the mission. After this period, MGS will raise its orbit to the altituderequired for planetary quarantine, and continue operations as a communications relay orbiterfor other U.S. and international landed missions.

The Mars Pathfinder spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station inDecember 1996, and will reach Mars in July of 1997. The lander will be cushioned by largeairbags, which will protect the tetrahedral lander, the microrover, and the scientific instruments.Once at rest on the planet's surface, the bags will deflate and retract, the lander will open likepetals of a flower, and the spacecraft will transmit the entry, descent, and landing data,including a panoramic image of the landing site to the Earth. The rover will then roll off itspetal, and begin engineering design tests, as well as compositional tests of the Mars soil. Thenominal life of the mission is 7 days for the rover, and 30 days for the lander; however, bothcould last longer.

SUPPORTING RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY


Space physics research and analysis 31,100 35,900 41,600

Astrophysics research and analysis 31,700 36,600 35,400

Planetary research and analysis 93,400 94,300 130,500

Mission Study and Technology Development 26,700 24,400 28,600

SIRTF ATD 15,000 24,900 --

TIMED ATD 15,000 1,800 --

Origins ATD -- -- 25,000

Exploration technology development -- -- 20,000

Information systems 25,900 24,900 24,500

High performance computing & communications 600 3,200 5,600

Total 239,400 246,000 311,200

PROGRAM GOALS

The goals of the Supporting Research and Technology (SR&T) program in the Space ScienceEnterprise are to: (1) optimize the design of future missions through science definition,development of advanced instruments and concepts, and definition of proposed new missions;(2) strengthen the technological base for sensor and instrument development; (3) enhance thevalue of current space missions by carrying out ground-based observations and laboratoryexperiments; (4) conduct the basic research necessary to understand observed phenomena, anddevelop theories to explain observed phenomena and predict new ones; and, (5) continue theacquisition, analysis and evaluation of data from laboratories, airborne observatories, balloons,rocket and spacecraft activities. In addition to supporting basic and experimental astrophysics,space physics, and solar system exploration research for future flight missions, the programalso develops and promotes United States scientific and technological expertise.

The goals of the Missions Studies and Technology Development program are to: (1) conductconceptual studies of future missions and identify key mission-enabling technologies in thefour science themes of Solar System Exploration, Structure and Evolution of the Universe,Sun-Earth Connection, and Astronomical Search for Origins and Planetary Systems; (2)develop mission-specific critical technologies that are needed to enable planned missions; and(3) conduct detailed definition studies and cost analysis of planned missions through Phase Bin preparation for new start consideration.

to implement the Origins science missions which include Space Interferometer Mission(SIM), Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), and Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF). Thetechnologies include the development of space-based lightweight, deployable telescopes andinterferometers.

The goal of the Exploration Technology Development program is to develop and mature thetechnologies required for the remote exploration and investigation of planetary bodies, with afocus on Mars, Europa and comet/asteroid systems.

The Information Systems Program provides multidisciplinary science support in the areas ofdata management and archiving, networking, scientific computing, visualization, and appliedinformation systems research and technology. Information systems and related technologiesare essential to NASA's Scientific Enterprise.

The goal of the NASA High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) programis to accelerate the development, application, and transfer of high performance computingtechnologies to meet the science and engineering needs of the U.S. science community and theU.S. aeronautics community. The goal of the Remote Exploration and Experimentation (REE)component of the program which is funded within the Office of Space Science is to developlow-power, fault-tolerant, high performance, scaleable computing technology for a newgeneration of microspacecraft.


The SR&T program carries out its objectives by providing grants to universities, nonprofit andindustrial research institutions, and funds to scientists and technologists at NASA Centers andother government agencies. Approximately 1,500 grants are awarded each year after a rigorouspeer review process; only about one out of four proposals is accepted for funding. Thesegrants help train future investigators in space science disciplines -- science and engineeringgraduate and post graduate students who will become the Nation's future scientific leaders.Many of these grants fund new types of detectors and scientific instruments which are flownaboard sounding rockets or balloons, and may later be adapted for flight aboard futurefree-flying spacecraft. These suborbital payloads, besides performing low-cost science andtraining future scientists, thus enable more capable, less costly future spacecraft. Other grantsfund purely theoretical studies which help direct future experimental investigations.

Increasing emphasis is being made within NASA to better utilize advanced technologies infuture missions. As a result, the Mission Studies and Advanced Technology Development(ATD) Program supports activities to develop new free-flying mission concepts and to ensurethat the technology for a specific mission is mature before development begins in order tominimize cost, schedule, and technical risks. Mission concept and definition studies are alsoused to identify and define applicable new technologies and optimize their use within an

affordable development cost.

The Exploration Technology Development program will achieve its goals by developingexploration technologies to respond to the mission needs defined by the space sciencecommunity, while pro-actively creating new technology concepts to address explorationopportunities beyond the current series of defined missions. This effort is augmented byactively incorporating the robotics and surface utilization technologies initially developed by theTelerobotics and Mars Technology programs, and maturing them to flight readiness through aprogram of aggressive environmental tests, field trials, and full-scenario mission simulations.

The Information Systems program carries out its objectives by providing the sciencecommunity reliable and efficient access to high performance computing, network services, anddata resources. The program also provides an interactive analysis environment with efficientaccess to data, mathematical processing tools, and advanced visualization techniques. Thescience community, as the primary customer, is active in the planning, implementation,review, and evaluation of effectiveness of the program in meeting its needs. NASA is planninga unified Space Science Data System to integrate previously separate discipline data systems,to improve the data environment for interdisciplinary research, and to improve efficiencies indelivery of data services to the community. The information systems research and technologyportion of the program is solicited through peer-reviewed NASA Research Announcements.Investigations at universities and research centers develop tools and techniques to improvescientists' productivity, as well as to provide transfer of new information technology into theprivate sector.

The REE project, led by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, works in close partnership with theU.S. computer industry, academia, and other government agencies to enhance and enable theperformance of spaceborne automated systems by providing computing technology which isdramatically reduced in power and mass, but increased in performance and reliability.




Complete SIRTFPhase A studies

September1996

September1996

JPL in-house studies of alternativemission designs reviewed for relativetechnical merits (complexity,feasibility, etc.) cost and schedulerequirements.

Complete SIRTFSpacecraft Request forProposal (RFP)

September1996

-- Documentation to support industryproposals for spacecraft developmentcontract ready for release. Releasecontingent upon new start approval inFY 1997.

ESA RosettaConceptual Review forPI Instruments

Spring1997

-- The European Space Agency (ESA)review for the Rosetta cometrendezvous mission instruments. U.S.PI instruments are Plasmas, Ultravioletand Microwave Spectrometers.

Begin observationswith the KeckObservatory

September1996

September1996

Keck observations will support theAstronomical Search for Origins andPlanetary System (ASO) theme. ASOactivities are to detect extra-solarplanetary systems, to understand theirformation and evolution and tocharacterize individual planets. OtherKeck activities will be the discoveryand characterization of faint, smallbodies in our solar system.

Developself-replicatingsystems to modelEarth's earliest life

September1996

September1996

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) catalyticcapabilities can now be evolved in testtubes with manipulation. Work isaimed at developing an RNA capableof self-replication and mutation, as thefirst demonstration of life based solelyon RNA. RNA can now be replicatedand evolved through sequentiallyreplacing highly-specialized media,analogous to the serial culture ofbacteria.

Synthesize biologicallyimportant compoundsfrom abiotic chemicalprocesses operating inhydrothermal vents

September1996

September1996

High pressure-temperature vesselshave been built and the abioticsynthesis of organic compounds hasbeen detected. Finding sufficientproduction of important biologicalcompounds would support the theorythat hydrothermal vents are a site forthe origin of life on Earth.

Complete two-yearprogram to analyze thedata sets acquired ofthe CometShoemaker-Levy 9collision with Jupiter

September1996

September1996

The impacting fragments andsubfragments of the original cometnucleus were found to be made ofdust. Very little water or evidence forother ices has been detected. Limits onmaterial properties of the nucleus havebeen determined from Jupiter's tidaldisruption of the original cometnucleus. This information is beingused to estimate strengths of nuclei inpreparation for comet lander missions.Many features in the Jupiteratmosphere caused by the impacts arestill being studied.

Technologydevelopment ofadvanced x- andgamma ray detectors

(ongoing) -- Significant progress continued in FY1996 in programs aimed at developingbetter sensors and optics to investigatecosmic radiation in the x- andgamma-ray bands. A major peerreview was conducted, resulting in theselection of a number of innovativehigh energy detector and opticstechnologies. At x-ray wavelengths,several projects aimed at developingadvanced detectors with ultra-highenergy resolution, good spatialresolution, high quantum efficiency,and large format are being carried out.One such device was tested in asounding rocket flight anddemonstrated the best spectralresolution ever obtained by an x-raydetector operating in the spaceenvironment. In the gamma-ray band,detectors with advanced capabilitiesspanning the various energy bandsfrom hard x-rays to very high energygamma-rays are being developed.Work will ontinue on advanced opticalsystems, including very highresolution x-ray mirrors andgrazing-incidence optics with responseextending into the hard x-ray band.

Technologydevelopment ofadvanced infrareddetectors

(ongoing) -- Continued and significant progresswas made in developing, characterizingand refining infrared detectors suitablefor low-background applications inspace astronomy. A primarymotivation for developing a variety ofdetectors and associated electronics isthe requirement to support NASA'snext infrared missions for the comingdecade, SIRTF and SOFIA. Moreover,during FY 1996 consideration beganon development of the next generationof detectors and associated instrumentelectronics for the Next GenerationSpace Telescope (NGST).

Technologydevelopment ofadvancedsubmillimeterdetectors

(ongoing) -- Significant milestones continue to bemet and surpassed in the continuingdevelopment of bolometer andheterodyne sub-millimeter detectors.The lightweight "spider-web"bolometer technology pioneered byAndrew Lange (CalTech) features alarge effective area for detection, but avery small cross-section to cosmic rayhits. Harvey Moseley (NASAGoddard) demonstrated a technique forconstructing for the first time arrays ofsub-millimeter bolometers, which maybe used to fill the focal plane of futureastronomy observatories working atthis wavelength.

Technologydevelopment ofadvanced Ultraviolet(U/V) detectorsystems

(ongoing) -- Ultraviolet detector development andwork on associated instrumentationand electronics continues, inpreparation for a number of approvedand potential space astronomymissions, including the FUSEspacecraft and Advanced Camera forSurveys (ACS) for the HST. Theseand other programs will benefit fromthe successful development indelay-line microchannel plate detectorelectronics and anode fabrication.

Theoretical studies ofsolar physics

(ongoing) -- Important progress continues to bemade in understanding interactions ofsolar magnetic fields with the flow ofionized material that leads to thevariability of the Sun. Models recentlyconstructed for the interior of this starwill soon be specific enough forobservational testing. Also, in FY1996, working from observed surfacemagnetic fields, theorists successfullypredicted the form of outer coronastructures seen weeks later during atotal solar eclipse. Research continuesin estimating the intensity of the solaractivity maximum, expected during thenext five years.

Instrumentationconcepts tested on theclosest star

(ongoing) --- Detector arrays of ultra-high spectralresolution germanium aredemonstrating their promise forFourier gamma-ray imaging of solarflares, a key tool for understanding theradiation from accelerated flareparticles. At the same time, continuingeffort in high angular resolutionimages and magnetic fieldmeasurements seek innovative ways tosimplify and improve flightinstrumentation.

Analyses of solarobservations

(ongoing) -- The mechanisms of solar variabilityare being investigated and these solarcauses are connected with their effectson the Earth environment and humansystems. Studies of coronal massejections (CMEs) recently showed theneed for "stereo" viewing of thesedisturbances from a position awayfrom the Earth-Sun line in order todistinguish driven shocks versus blastshocks associated with CMEs

Theoretical studies ofGeospace

(ongoing) -- Analysis and modeling of the behaviorof the Geospace system, especially asimpacted by the light, magnetizedplasma, and energetic particlesproduced by the Sun.

Theoretical studies ofthe Heliosphere

(ongoing) -- Continued science definition, newtechnology development andinstrument design for a close solarflyby mission to study how the coronais heated and the solar wind isaccelerated.

Theoretical studies ofMagnetospheres

(ongoing) -- The goals in the MagnetosphericPhysics Program are to understand thenature of magnetospheres, includingtheir formation and fundamentalinteractions with plasmas, fields, andatmospheres. The NASA programemphasizes research upon the Earth'smagnetosphere, which results from theinteraction between the solar windplasma and the geomagnetic field, butalso includes magnetospheric researchon planets, comets, and otherprimordial bodies.

Investigations ofmagnetosphericstructures and eventscoupled to solar andheliospheric processes

(ongoing) -- Research is conducted on thefundamental components of the Earth'smagnetosphere. At its outer limits,these include the bow shock, themagnetosheath, the magnetopause, andthe geomagnetic tail. Within themagnetosphere are the plasmasphere,the plasma sheet, the boundary layerplasmas, and other highlytime-dependent plasma populationssuch as the radiation belts that relate tosolar and heliospheric events. Twodramatic transient events are magneticstorms and substorms (roughlyanalogous to hurricanes and tornadoes,respectively, in the lower atmosphere)which occur subsequent to extremeconditions on the Sun or in the solarwind.

MarsSurface/SubsurfaceExplorationTechnology

(ongoing) -- Identify and select most promisingarchitectures for long-lived, highlymobile long-distance Mars surfaceexploration missions. Initiate programto address critical mobility andsampling technologies to support theseapproaches.

EuropaSurface/SubsurfaceExplorationTechnology

(ongoing) -- Develop autonomous drilling approachto enable robotic access to thesubsurface environment of Europa.Define expected range of sub-iceoperational and communicationsconstraints and identify key technicalapproaches to enable this class ofmissions.

Comet/AsteroidSurface/SubsurfaceExplorationTechnology

(ongoing) -- Define key sample acquisition andin-situ analysis capabilities needed toenable extended exploration andanalysis of a low density/low gravity(comet or asteroid) surface.

Origins AdvancedTechnologyDevelopment

(ongoing) -- Develop and demonstrate thetechnologies for space-basedinterferometers and large lightweighttelescopes.

Investigate the loss ofvolatiles from Mars'atmosphere overgeologic time, basedon new atomic andmolecular data and anew understanding ofloss processes

(ongoing) -- Hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbonand other constituents are critical in theprocess of evolution of the Martianatmosphere and climate. This study isdirectly related to the question ofwhether the early atmosphere of Marswas denser, warmer and wetter, andtherefore whether Mars could havebeen the abode of primitive life.

Investigatehydrocarbon ionproduction in Jupiter'sauroral region due tocharged particleimpact, based on newatomic and moleculardata

(ongoing) -- A continued investigation ofhydrocarbon ion chemistry in theionosphere of Jupiter. The work isimportant because hydrocarbon ionchemistry, driven by auroral particleimpact, is probably a significantprocess in the production of the heavierhydrocarbon molecules that formJupiter's polar haze.

Determination of thelikelihood that a planetwould be habitable

(ongoing) -- Research will focus on the necessaryatmospheric ingredients for a liquidwater world, how evolution of theplanet's Sun alters the circumstellar"habitable distance" in which liquidwater is maintained, and the probabilityof planets occurring within thehabitable distance. Models ofgreenhouse gases have extended thepossible habitable distance to fartherfrom the Sun.

Determine how lifestarted on Earth

(ongoing) -- Investigations will take two generalapproaches: 1) retrospective indeducing our earliest ancestors throughphylogeny and the fossil record, and 2)through laboratory experiments torecreate the possible syntheticpathways leading to the origin andevolution of life.

Continue long-termastrometric and radialvelocity searches forthe presence ofmassive planets

(ongoing) -- During FY 1996, long-termobservational programs finallyrevealed the unambiguous presence offaint Jupiter-mass objects in orbitaround neighboring stars. Theseprograms use either precisemeasurements of a star's position orminute changes in the star's velocity toinfer the gravitational tug of an orbitingplanet. To date, about a dozen suchobjects have been reported, revealing anew planetary system in space at therate of about once per month.

Stratigraphic andstructural analyses ofgeologic units on theterrestrial planets

(ongoing) -- Systematic geologic mapping ofVenus and Mars is progressing atseveral scales. Significant stratigraphicand structural details have been derivedfrom these studies, including newlydescribed geologic sequencesinvolving the relative timing of unitsidentified on the planets. Ongoinganalysis of spectral reflectance data forthe Moon obtained by the Clementinemission is also improvingcompositional constraints on lunargeologic evolution.

Detect and characterizeindividual interstellargrains in meteoritesand IDPs

(ongoing) -- A variety of interstellar grains havebeen detected in meteorites andinterplanetary dust particles that havebeen shown to have been formed innovae, supernovae and red giant stars.New microanalytic techniques allowinvestigators to characterize thechemical composition of individualgrains and to better understand theconditions in particular stars during thesynthesis of each individual grain. Thisprovides significant insight into theproblems of stellar nucleosynthesisand stellar evolution.

Use isotopic traces ofextinct radionuclides tobound the timescalesfor the formation ofplanets

(ongoing) -- A variety of short-lived radioactiveelements are known to have beenpresent in the early solar nebula. Bysearching for the isotopically distinctdaughter products of a number of theseelements and comparing theirabundances with stable, chemicallysimilar elements, it is possible tobound the sequence of processingevents that led to the formation ofindividual planetessimals and todevelop an absolute chronology for theevolution of the planetary system. Bymapping the abundances of theshortest-lived isotopes it is possible tobound the time of the last addition ofmaterial to the presolar molecular coreas well as the timescale for the collapseitself.

Identify the changes tospecific types ofplanetary materialscaused by the spaceand planetaryenvironments

(ongoing) -- A wide variety of meteorite types,including meteorites from the Moonand Mars, are available for laboratoryanalysis. A basic understanding of theeffects of the space environment andweather of the planets on the spectralproperties of the meteorite samples isneeded before these properties can belinked to spacecraft remote sensingobservations of planets. These samplessimultaneously reveal a great deal ofthe evolutionary history of the parentbody from which the meteorite samplewas derived.

Search for additionalmillisecond pulsarsand monitor theplanetary systemdiscovered around theneutron starPSR1257+12

(ongoing) -- Observations using the Arecibo andEffelsburg radio telescopes areunderway to find and catalog a largenumber of millisecond pulsars that canthen be monitored for gravitationalperturbations due to the presence of aplanetary system. These telescopes arealso being used to monitor theevolution of the planetary systemaround PSR1257+12, using mutualgravitational interactions to accuratelydetermine the masses and orbitalelements of the planetary system.

Studies of thechemistry andstructure ofstar-forminginterstellar clouds

(ongoing) -- One of the most active areas ofastrophysical research is theinvestigation of the thermodynamics,chemistry, and structure of the materialout of which new generations of starsare born. This involves not onlyobservational programs across theentire electromagnetic spectrum, butalso laboratory and theoreticalprograms which extend our generalknowledge of basic chemistry. To date,around 100 different molecules havebeen discovered in the materialbetween the stars.

Continue developmentand validation of highpriority planetarytechnologies

(ongoing) -- Solar Electric Propulsion needs to bevalidated for high energy missions;acquisition and analysis of samplesfrom planetary surfaces andatmospheres must be developed forfuture in depth studies of the solarsystem; utilization of local resources isthe key to long term self sufficiency ofthe exploration program.

FY 1996Plan

FY 1996Actual

FY 1997Plan

FY 1997Revised

FY 1998Plan

NSSDC accesses perday 40,000 40,000 50,000 44,000 48,000

World Wide WebHomepage visits per day 30,000 18,000 40,000 30,000 40,000

NSI Nodes 240 240 240 240 240

Principal InvestigatorUsers 2,300 2,200 2,300 2,200 2,200


NASA's R&A program continued to produce exciting scientific results in FY 1996. In 1996,evidence that life existed on Mars was reported by scientists based on their analysis of anancient Martian meteorite, ALH84001, collected in Antarctica as part of an ongoingNASA/NSF/Smithsonian program. Over the past decade, the scientific community has cometo realize that life outside of Earth is probable considering that: (1) life exists on Earthwherever there is liquid water; (2) life appeared very quickly on early Earth; and (3) early Marshad an environment similar to early Earth. In response to the exciting findings that galvanizedscientific and public interest, NASA and NSF have initiated a special meteorite analysisprogram concerning Martian meteorites, specifically ALH84001. The goal is to confirm orrefute the purported evidence of Martian life and to recognize the limits of knowledge of whatmay be learned from Mars meteorites.

Life is most probably a natural consequence of the physical and chemical processes in theuniverse. In recognition of the interrelationship between the origin and evolution of life and theorigin and evolution of planets, a new program within the framework of Astrobiology will beinitiated in 1997. The program will focus evolutionary biology research on the fundamental

information about the evolution of life on Earth to anticipate the likelihood and nature of lifeelsewhere in the universe.

Balloon-borne programs offer scientifically compelling results at a fraction of the cost ofsatellite missions for some specific types of observations. For example, the R&A programsupports balloon-based studies of the cosmic background emission at sensitivities which willexceed that of the historic Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE). Furthermore, observationsat smaller angular scales will reveal characteristic structure of the cosmos which willsignificantly constrain the values of three major "cosmological constants," including the earlyrate of universal expansion and the mass density of the universe.

Significant progress continued in the development and testing of innovative new x- andgamma-ray detectors. A state-of-the-art x-ray calorimeter was flown on a sounding rocketfrom White Sands, N.M., and obtained the best spectral resolution (~9 eV) ever obtained inthe space environment. This flight represents the first space-based demonstration of this verypowerful new technique and is extremely encouraging for the prospects for the successfuloperation of a similar instrument on the NASA/ISAS Astro-E mission, planned for launch inearly 2000. Even during the 200-second observation afforded by this rocket flight, the x-raydetector was able for the first time to resolve spectral lines of Oxygen VII from the diffusex-ray background radiation. With further improvements in energy resolution expected as aresult of the flight, the diffuse Carbon blends seen at lower energies will also be resolvable.This data is providing important new information on the origin and composition of the veryhot gas which fills the space between the stars in our galaxy.

Analysis of data from the flight of a high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometer flown fromAustralia in early FY 1996 revealed surprising new results on another component of the MilkyWay's interstellar medium. The faint glow of the gamma radiation line indicative of theradioactive decay of 26 Al detected by the Compton GRO mission was observed and found tobe some three times broader than expected from prevalent models. This result stronglysuggests that such emission originates from gas ejected in supernova explosions and/or fromthe extremely energetic "winds" of material expelled from very hot and massive stars in thedisk of the Galaxy. It has also raised a new question of how the material maintains such a highvelocity over the million years or so since its production.

In the field of coherent detector development, various programs in universities, industry, andNASA centers are achieving three major goals: extending the performance to higher (> 1 Thz)frequencies, decreasing the noise level to approach a few times the quantum limit, andconstructing arrays of detectors. Such systems will be essential to NASA's SOFIAobservatory, ground-based submillimeter detectors in the U.S. and elsewhere, and ESA's FarInfrared and Submillimeter Space Telescope (FIRST) mission.

During FY 1997-1998, the Sun-Earth Connections theme will observe and interpret the

variable radiations in the Earth's space environment. The Sun, its atmosphere and heliosphere,and the Earth's magnetosphere and atmosphere are coupled by physical processes that are onlypartially known. These processes will be explored to achieve major advances in understanding.The theme focuses on the solar atmosphere and flares, global magnetospheric structure anddynamics, and upper atmospheric structure and energetics, as well as the coupling amongthem. Sun-Earth Connections examines the frontiers at both the very inner and outer fringes ofour solar system, and plans to explore in-situ deep in the solar atmosphere, closer to the Sunthan ever before.

In FY 1997, a second sounding rocket flight of an advanced x-ray microcalorimeter device isplanned. The primary goals are to demonstrate an enhanced spectral resolution resulting fromchanges to the instrument design and to observe a galactic supernova remnant to investigate thesupernova phenomenon, including the nature of the progenitor star, the explosion, and itsinteraction with the interstellar medium.

In FY 1998, the supporting research and technology program for the discipline of high energyastrophysics will continue to emphasize the development, fabrication, and flight-testing ofspace-qualified detectors with enhanced imaging and spectral capabilities in the x- andgamma-ray bands. In addition, innovative x-ray telescope developments will continue to beinvestigated, with efforts aimed both at very high spatial resolution and at high throughputtogether with moderate spatial resolution, as well as at the extension of focusing optics into thehard x-ray band.

The Suborbital Program in Magnetospheric, Ionospheric, Thermospheric, and Mesospheric(MITM) physics continues its critical support of MITM programs through its provision offast, inexpensive access to space. Analysis of previously obtained aircraft-based data has, forinstance, provided significant insight into the physical mechanisms underlying sprites andother newly-discovered thunderstorm-associated phenomena. Balloon-based studies of spriteelectric fields, critical but currently unknown quantities, are being planned for the summer of1998. Work is also beginning on a sounding rocket investigation which will provide, in thewinter of 1998/1999, the first flight test of JPL's hockey-puck-sized Free FlyingMagnetometers.

Planet-sized objects have been detected indirectly at the rate of about one per month since thefirst object was discovered in late 1995. The central stars of these putative planets are normal,similar to our own Sun, which suggests that planetary systems are common constituents of theUniverse. However, at present these indirect techniques are sensitive only to the most massiveorbiting objects, Jupiter's mass or larger. Furthermore, some of the newly-discovered objectsare likely to turn out to be very small stars, rather than planets. Future missions andinstruments will be able to search for less massive objects.

Comet Hale-Bopp continues to brighten and shows high jet-like activity. Its perihelion is April

1, 1997. The comet comes on the heels of Comet Hyakutake, which yielded severalunanticipated results: x-ray emissions, and several molecules (acetylene and ethylene) detectedfor the first time in a comet. A joint NASA-NSF Comet Hale-Bopp Initiative hascompetitively selected 13 teams of investigators for funding for a period of two years. Specialfilters for observing the comets have been acquired and are being calibrated. Observingactivities will reach their peak when the comet is near perihelion.

The Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) technology development will complete the 8,000-hourlife tests on the engineering model in FY 1997. Also in FY 1997, the flight SEP hardware willbe delivered for integration into the New Millennium Program Deep Space I spacecraft. DS Iwill be launched in July 1998 and will demonstrate the first use of SEP for primary spacecraftpropulsion in space. A three-year, ground-based mission profile test will be started in late FY1997 and continue through FY 2000 using the engineering model hardware.

Three programs and associated ground-based observatories and instrumentation dedicated todetecting Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) have been established: Spacewatch at Kitt Peak, LowellObservatory Near-Earth-Objects Search (LONEOS) at Flagstaff, and the Near-Earth AsteroidTelescope (NEAT) camera operated by JPL at the USAF installation on Maui. An upgradedversion of the Spacewatch telescope and the LONEOS telescope will see first light in 1997.Expanded efforts for orbit determinations and cataloging will also start in 1997. The NEOsurvey is being coordinated with the Department of Defense and space agencies from othercountries.

Phase A studies for SIRTF were completed and a project approval review conducted duringFY 1996. Based upon that review, SIRTF was given permission by the Administrator inNovember of 1996 to enter Phase B studies. Also during November, an exact-scale model ofone of the spectrographs to be flown on SIRTF by the IRS team was successfully operated onthe 5-meter Hale telescope at Mt. Palomar. Spectra were obtained of targets ranging from theplanet Saturn and its moon Titan to distant active galactic nuclei, and previously unseenspectral features were detected in many of these sources. The sensitivity of this spectrograph,when installed on SIRTF, is expected to be a full two orders of magnitude more sensitive thanthe Short Wavelength Spectrometer (SWS) now flying on the European Space Agency's(ESA's) Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). Two major contracts were awarded during FY1996: Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space was awarded responsibility for the spacecraft, aswell as for mission integration, engineering, and launch; while Ball Aerospace andTechnologies Corporation will be responsible for the cryogenic telescope assembly. Anengineering model of SIRTF's mirror, with a new type of beryllium construction, is beingtested under mission-like conditions of extreme cold; this design is expected to meet themission requirements. Significant work on infrared detector systems is also being supportedby the Astrophysics R&A program. The FY 1998 budget includes funding for Phase C/Dunder SIRTF Development; please refer to that section for a description of SIRTF's goals andplans for FY 1998.

Solar System Exploration ATD activities in FY 1997 and FY 1998 include continuing thedefinition studies of small advanced outer planetary probes, development of in-situ sample andreturn technologies for cometary missions, and advanced technologies and mission conceptsfor future Mars orbiters, landers, and sample return missions.

Sun-Earth connections ATD activities in FY 1997 and FY 1998 include continuing definitionstudies of missions emphasizing the use of small spacecraft and rapid development, includingthe Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED), HighEnergy Solar Imager (HESI), Magnetospheric Imager (MI), and Solar Probe missions. Thedevelopment costs for these four missions have also been reduced by a factor of four from theoriginal concepts. IMAGE, a Midex version of MI, was selected for development in FY 1996under the Explorer program. During FY 1996 nineteen new, innovative mission conceptswere selected for study over a two-year period. Concepts and new technologies being studiedinclude solar sails, 3-D imaging using 100 micro-satellites, light-weight deployable lightconcentrators, and multiple tethered satellites.

The Exploration Technology program will focus on the development of systems for theexploration of planetary bodies. Initially, the program will focus on three primary areas ofinterest: Mars, Europa and comet/asteroid systems. For the Mars thrust, the program willdevelop and mature technologies for the detailed examination of the Mars surface. Through thedevelopment of long-lived, highly mobile systems such as Mars atmospheric robotic balloons("Aerobots") and aircraft, detailed exploration of Mars on a planetary scale will be enabled. Inparallel, autonomous drilling and subsurface systems will be developed to enable the searchfor, and acquisition of, samples of deep aquifers that are theorized to exist at depths of 1-10Km below the Mars surface. Related subsurface exploration systems will also be developed topermit the exploration of the subsurface seas that are believed to reside on Europa. Enablingtechnologies such as navigation autonomy, aqueous sample acquisition and autonomousanalysis, robotic deep-shaft ice boring, and multi-transmission-medium communicationstechnologies will be developed by the program to enable the ability for highly autonomousunderwater robotic exploration. The third thrust, comet/asteroid exploration, will developadvanced technologies such as adaptive landing systems, low-power/low-temperature drillingand sampling systems, low-/no- gravity mobility concepts, and in-situ sample analysiscapabilities to enable detailed exploration in very low gravity environments.

The Origins ATD Program will develop and demonstrate, on the ground and in space,technologies needed to implemented a series of space missions. These space missions willanswer such questions as: What are the origins of galaxies, how do stars and planetarysystems form, and are there habitable planets orbiting nearby stars? The first two missionsplanned are Space Interferometery Mission (SIM) and the Next Generation Space Telescope(NGST). SIM would be the first world's first space-based interferometer, and woulddemonstrate many of the technologies that will enable future space-based interferometers,

including the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF). NGST is currently planned to be a 4-8m IRoptimized space telescope that will succeed the Hubble Space Telescope and will probe thevery early universe to determine the origins of galaxies.

Two experiments to capture Interplanetary Dust Particles (IDPs) have been deployed on theMir Space Station and are expected to return in spring 1997 for analysis. IDPs carry criticaland unique information on processes in the early solar System and Interstellar Medium, theevolution of interstellar organics, and the origin of life.

The Keck Observatory became available to NASA scientists with the completion of the KeckII telescope in September 1996. The twin 10-meter telescopes of the Keck Observatory are thelargest in the world, and will allow NASA astronomers to search for planetary systems aroundother stars with significantly greater sensitivity than has been possible with any othertelescopes.

Throughout FY 1997, planning and hardware development will continue toward the goal ofestablishing an interferometry capability at the Keck Observatory. Ultimately, this will involvehousing of equipment required to combine the two Keck 10-meter telescopes in addition tofour one-meter outrigger telescopes.

The Exploration of Neighboring Planetary Systems (ExNPS) activity as part of NASA'sOrigins Program has been completed and the study team's final report was submitted in FY1996. One of the first actions recommended for NASA in implementing the ExNPS plan is toissue a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) soliciting proposals for the first ExNPSdedicated non-interferometric instrument to be developed for the Keck II telescope. This NRAis currently in preparation with a target release date in January 1997.

As part of the Space Science Enterprise strategic planning process, mission and technologyroadmaps are being developed in each of the four science theme areas. These roadmaps,developed by the scientific community, were initiated in FY 1996 and will be completed in FY1997. Mission definition studies and technology developments will start in FY 1998 for thosemissions that are incorporated into the OSS strategic plan.

Early in 1997, NASA will competitively select a group of participating scientists to augmentthe Mars Pathfinder mission science teams. These scientists will be supported to preparemodels and data analysis tools in preparation for the Pathfinder landing in July 1997.

The Remote Exploration and Experimentation (REE) project is conducting short-term studycontracts with industry and academia in FY 1996 to establish requirements, identify candidatedesigns and architectures and qualify potential methodologies. Beginning in FY 1997, REEwill complete a detailed Project Implementation Plan with milestones and metrics, and willissue technology system development contracts to industry and academia.

Heliospheric supporting research includes studies of many new features of the interaction ofthe solar wind with the interstellar medium revealed by spectroscopy data from the HST, andby data from IMP-8, Voyager, Pioneer, Ulysses and SAMPEX. In FY 1996, scientists didnew computer modeling of the ionization and acceleration of interstellar atoms and cosmicrays which penetrate the solar system, the effect of this process on the magnetic field andplasma in the inner solar system, and the slowing of the solar wind at and near the terminationshock. These studies will be updated as the Voyager Interstellar Mission approaches thetermination shock.

Heliospheric studies of the inner solar system and the source of the solar wind continue tointegrate new remote sensing from SOHO and other observatories with in-situ plasmameasurements from Ulysses and other spacecraft, into the best understanding of how the Suncreates the solar wind and establishes its character. 1996 SOHO results showing that the solarwind is already quite fast just a few solar radii from the Sun are important for design of a solarprobe mission to find the solar electromagnetic process which accelerates the solar wind.

Preliminary studies of six innovative instruments for a possible close solar flyby to determinehow the Sun heats the corona and accelerates the solar wind were funded in FY 1996 after peerreview of proposals received in response to an NRA issued for this special purpose.

SUBORBITAL PROGRAM

BASIS OF FY 1998 FUNDING REQUIREMENT(Thousands of Dollars)

FY 1996 FY 1997 FY 1998

Kuiper airborne observatory 3,400 -- --

Stratospheric observatory for infrared astronomy 30,000 21,300 45,800

Balloon program 16,000 14,000 13,700

Sounding rockets 38,600 28,800 24,900

Total 88,000 64,100 84,400

PROGRAM GOALS

The principal goal of the Suborbital program is to provide frequent, low-cost flightopportunities for space science researchers to fly payloads to conduct research of the Earth'sionosphere and magnetosphere, space plasma physics, stellar astronomy, solar astronomy, andhigh energy astrophysics. The program also serves as a technology testbed for instrumentswhich may ultimately fly aboard orbital spacecraft, thus reducing cost and technical risks

associated with the development of future space science missions. It is also the primaryprogram for training graduate students and young scientists in hands-on research techniques.


The Suborbital program provides the science community with a variety of options for theacquisition of in-situ or remote sensing data. Aircraft, balloons and sounding rockets provideaccess to the upper limits of the Earth's atmosphere. The Spartan program, funded within theSounding Rocket budget element at a level of approximately $1.5 million per year, providesaccess to space by supporting deployable payloads for flight aboard the Shuttle. Activities areconducted on both a national and international cooperative basis.

Astronomical research with instrumented jet aircraft has been an integral part of the NASAPhysics and Astronomy program since 1965. For relatively low-cost, NASA has been able toprovide to the science community very quick, global response to astronomical "targets ofopportunity." The Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a newairborne observatory designed to replace the retired Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO).SOFIA consists of a 2.5 m telescope provided by the German Space Agency (DARA)integrated into a used Boeing 747 aircraft. With spatial resolution and sensitivity far superior tothe KAO, SOFIA will facilitate significant advances in the study of a wide variety ofastronomical objects, including regions of star and planet formation in the Milky Way, activityin the nucleus of the Milky Way, and planets, moons, asteroids and comets in our SolarSystem. The program will build upon a very successful program of flying teachers on theKAO by reaching out to K-12 teachers as well as science museums and planetaria around thecountry. Development of SOFIA will start in FY 1997, with initial operations by October2001. KAO operations were terminated in October 1995; the savings from cessation of KAOoperations are an integral element of the funding plan for SOFIA.

The FY 1998 budget proposes appropriation language for multi-year funding for developmentof SOFIA. The requested appropriations are $45.8 million for FY 1998, $56.5 million for FY1999, $48.8 million for FY 2000 and $32.4 million for FY 2001, for a total of $234.8 million,including prior funding for design and definition. Enactment of these appropriations willensure the stability to manage and execute this program within its budget and schedulecommitments.

The Balloon program provides a cost-effective way to test flight instrumentation in the spaceradiation environment and to make observations at altitudes above most of the water vapor inthe atmosphere. In many instances, it is necessary to fly primary scientific experiments onballoons, due to size, weight, cost considerations or lack of other opportunities. Balloonexperiments are particularly useful for infrared, gamma-ray, and cosmic-ray astronomy. Inaddition to the level-of-effort science observations, the program has successfully developedballoons capable of lifting payloads greater than 5000 pounds. Balloons are now also capable

of conducting a limited number of missions lasting 9 to 24 days, and successful long-durationflights are being conducted in the Antarctic. The Balloon program is managed by theNASA/GSFC Wallops Flight Facility (WFF). Flight operations are conducted by the NationalScientific Balloon Facility (NSBF), a government-owned, contractor-operated facility inPalestine, Texas.

Analytical tools have been developed to predict balloon performance and flight conditions.These tools are being employed to analyze new balloon materials in order to develop anadvanced long-duration program based on superpressure balloons.

Sounding rockets are uniquely suited for performing low-altitude measurements (betweenballoon and spacecraft altitude) and for measuring vertical variations of many atmosphericparameters. Special areas of study supported by the sounding rocket program include: thenature, characteristics and composition of the magnetosphere and near space; the effects ofincoming energetic particles and solar radiation on the magnetosphere, including theproduction of aurora and the coupling of energy into the atmosphere; and the nature,characteristics and spectra of radiation of the Sun, stars and other celestial objects. In addition,the sounding rocket program allows several science disciplines to flight test instruments andexperiments being developed for future flight missions. The program also provides a meansfor calibrating flight instruments and obtaining vertical atmospheric profiles to complementdata obtained from orbiting spacecraft. The program is managed by GSFC/WFF, and launchoperations are conducted from facilities at WFF, White Sands, New Mexico and Poker Flats,Alaska, as well as occasional foreign locations.

In 1996 a suborbital restructuring study evaluated the current implementation approaches andtheir suitability for meeting the requirements, including an assessment of possible restructuringalternatives. The study team concluded that NASA should maintain the viability of itssuborbital activities, which are an essential component of the spectrum of access-to-spaceopportunities. It suggested that the sounding rocket program should be restructured to aGovernment-Owned, Contractor-Operated (GOCO) implementation approach, with marketforces allowed to influence the final decisions concerning the implementation strategy.

The balloon program is already implemented via a GOCO approach, whereas the soundingrocket program is operated by a NASA-Contractor Team approach. In the latter case, thegovernment performs both the oversight and implementation functions, with help fromcontractors. The restructuring team suggested that a GOCO implementation approach wouldbe consistent with the Zero Base Review budget and staffing levels, while offering anappropriate government role in providing crucial oversight without competing with industry. Itwas emphasized, however, that NASA should take appropriate action to mitigate possibleadverse impacts that the transition to the GOCO might have on the users, and have a plan toretreat if necessary.

In an effort to broaden the education opportunities using experiments built by students andflown on suborbital rockets and stratospheric balloons, a Student Launch Program has beenestablished for U.S. institutions of higher learning. This program offers students for thebachelor through masters degree an opportunity to work on a reasonably complex project fromits inception through its end, in a timeframe tenable within their academic careers. A NASAResearch Announcement released in June 1996 offers proposers up to $35,000 over 30months or less for the design, construction, and flight of student-built balloon and/or soundingrocket experiments, including analysis of data. The announcement emphasizes that thisprogram is meant to be equally relevant to students in academic fields as diverse as, forexample, science and engineering, education, business administration, industrial management,and public relations. The experiments are intended to support the students' education, not toperform an experiment at the frontier of science.

The Spartan program provides small, reusable spacecraft which can be flown aboard theShuttle. These units can be adapted to support a variety of science payloads and are deployedfrom the Shuttle cargo bay to conduct experiments for a short time (i.e. several hours or days).Payloads are later retrieved, reinstalled into the cargo bay and returned to Earth. The sciencepayload is returned to the mission scientists for data retrieval and possible refurbishment for afuture flight opportunity. The Spartan carrier is also refurbished and modified as needed toaccommodate the next science payload.


SOFIA Development



RFP Released February1996

May 1996 Request for Proposals from industry forthe SOFIA development and operationsprime contract. Delayed in order toincorporate a variety of modificationsarising out of the draft RFP

NASA/DARAMOU signed

April1996

December 1996 Formal agreement between NASA and theGerman Space Agency. Delayed byresolution of various minor wordingissues; no substantive issues.

Prime contractaward

August1996

December 1996 Selection of the SOFIA development andoperations prime contractor.

SystemRequirementsReview

April1997

-- Complete review of engineering technicalrequirements for the entire SOFIAsystem, with meetings in the U.S. andGermany. On schedule.

TelescopeAssemblyConceptual DesignReview

August1997

-- Formal review of the German contractor'sconcept for implementation of thetelescope assembly. On schedule.

SystemPreliminaryDesign Review

April1998

-- Review of the U.S. contractor's conceptfor development and integration of theobservatory. On schedule

Balloon Program



-- FY 1996 -- 25 flights (versus 30 planned) were flownfrom four remote sites: Canada, Alaska,Antarctica, and Fort Sumner, NM.

-- FY 1997 -- 28 flights are planned from Palestine,Texas, Fort Sumner, Canada, Alaska, andBrazil.

-- FY 1998 -- Approximately 25 flights are planned

Sounding Rockets



-- FY 1996 -- 22 flights (versus 32 planned) werelaunched from four sites: Wallops FlightFacility (WFF), White Sands MissileRange (WSMR), Australia, and Alaska.

-- FY 1997 -- 26 flights are planned from four sites:WFF, WSMR, Alaska, and Norway.Three flights will focus on the Hale-BoppComet.

-- FY 1998 -- A minimum of 14 flights are planned,including 10 from Puerto Rico, 3 fromNorway, and one from WSMR.

Spartan



-- FY 1996 -- Spartan 201-3 mission conductedinvestigations of solar wind as correlativedata measurements to support SOHO.Spartan 207 successfully deployed theSpace Access and Technology inflatableantenna. Spartan 206 accommodated fourspace technology experiments: twosuccessfully and two with partial success.

-- FY 1997 -- Preparing for the fourth flight of theSpartan 201 solar telescope

-- FY 1998 -- Spartan 201-4 planned for launch andretrieval on STS-87 in October 1998


In May 1996, NASA released the final RFP for SOFIA development and operations. InDecember 1996, NASA selected a team led by the Universities Space Research Association(USRA), Columbia, MD, to acquire, develop and operate SOFIA. The Cost-Plus-Incentiveand Award Fee-type contract has a base period for development plus one five-year operationscycle. The contract also contains an option period for one additional five-year operations cycle.SOFIA is expected to be operated for at least 20 years. The contract will be managed byNASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA. Other team members include RaytheonE-Systems - Waco, TX (formerly CTAS); United Airlines, San Francisco; an alliance of theAstronomical Society of the Pacific and The SETI Institute, both of Mountain View, CA;Sterling Software, Redwood City, CA; and the University of California at Berkeley and LosAngeles. The contract calls for the selected company to acquire an existing Boeing 747 SPaircraft, design and implement a modification program to accommodate installation of a largeinfrared telescope, test and deliver the flying astronomical observatory to NASA, and providemission and operations support in approximately five-year increments. USRA's proposal callsfor operating the aircraft out of Moffett Federal Airfield, Mountain View, CA. It is anticipatedthat the 747 SP aircraft will be purchased in early 1997 and modifications to the vehicle willbegin in mid-1998. The telescope will be integrated and tested by late in the year 2000, withscience flights scheduled to begin in 2001. The international Memorandum of Understandingbetween NASA and DARA was also signed in December 1996. The contractors on both sidesof the Atlantic will initiate final design work, heading toward Preliminary Design Reviews inMarch and April 1998 for the telescope assembly and the overall system, respectively.

In FY 1996, 22 sounding rockets and 16 balloons were flown. Of particular interest was

completion of the highly successful sounding rocket campaign in Australia in which 6 rocketswere flown. Recent developments in long-duration ballooning now make it possible toaccommodate 1-2 ton payloads for periods of up to 3 weeks. This capability provides analternative to Spacelab missions for some investigators, and is now being used in polarcampaigns for solar investigations and to fly cosmic ray experiments. Technologydevelopment for superpressure ballooning has been initiated. Funding in FY 1997 and FY1998 will support the planned balloon and sounding rocket flights.

In FY 1996 two Spartan missions launched from the Shuttle supported the activities of theOffice of Space Access and Technology (OSAT). These included the OSAT-Flyer andInflatable Antenna experiments. Plans for FY 1997 and FY 1998 include the flight of Spartan201-4, which will study the solar corona in support of the SOHO mission.

LAUNCH SERVICES


Launch Services 245,300 240,600 236,300

PROGRAM GOALS

To provide successful, on-time launch services for the Space Science missions at the leastpossible cost. Launch Services are a vital element in the achievement of the overall goals of theSpace Science program.


Payloads may be launched aboard a number of vehicles, each of which supports a discreteperformance class. Small payloads are launched aboard the Pegasus XL, which is provided bythe Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) and requires in-flight deployment from a LockheedL1011 aircraft. The Pegasus XL is capable of delivering payloads up to approximately 1,000pounds to low Earth orbit. The Ultra-lite launch services budget supports the Student ExplorerDemonstration Initiative (STEDI) which is managed by the Universities Space ResearchAssociation (USRA) in cooperation with NASA. Funding supports the development of threesmall university-developed spacecraft and the procurement of launch services. A contract forUltra-lite launch services was signed with OSC in December 1994 to support the STEDIprogram. This new class of ELV will provide approximately one half the lift capacity of aPegasus.

Medium class payloads require launch services capable of delivering up to 11,000 pounds to

low Earth orbit. These missions are launched aboard the Delta launch vehicle, which isprovided by McDonnell-Douglas (MDAC). These vehicles may be launched either from theCape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) or, if a polar orbit is required, from theVandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB). The Med-Lite is a new class of launch services which iscapable of delivering payloads up to 5,000 lbs to low-Earth orbit. The Med-Lite contract wassigned with McDonnel Douglas in February 1996 and offers launches on lower performanceDelta and Taurus (to be provided by Orbital Science Corporation) launch vehicles.

Large class payloads requiring the delivery of up to 39,000 pounds to low-Earth orbit arelaunched aboard the USAF -managed Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle. NASA is procuring theTitan IV/Centaur launch vehicle for Cassini via an existing contract between the United StatesAir Force (USAF) and Locheed-Martin Corporation (LM). A separate contract for missionunique integration activities is established directly between NASA and LM.

Payloads launched aboard the Shuttle may be delivered to a higher orbit via the use of an upperstage. The AXAF mission will be launched aboard the Shuttle, and will use an Inertial UpperStage (IUS) manufactured by Boeing to deliver the spacecraft to a highly elliptical orbit.


Ultra-Lite Class Launch Vehicles



SNOE launch May 1997 -- Launch aboard a Pegasus launch vehicle.On schedule.

TERRIERlaunch

August1997

-- Launch aboard a Pegasus launch vehicle.On schedule

CATSAT launch 3rd Qtr FY1998

-- Launch aboard a Pegasus launch vehicle.On schedule

Small Class Launch Vehicles

FAST launchvehicle.

TBD August 1996 Launch successfully from VAFB board thePegasus XL/L1011 on August 21, 1996.

SAC-B/HETElaunch

November1996

-- Dual payload launch from WFF aboardPegasus XL/L1011 launch vehicle onNovember 14, 1996. The Pegasus vehiclefailed to separate the two payloads from thethird stage. Spacecraft are not functional

SWAS launch TBD -- Exact date of this launch is dependent uponsuccessful return to flight of the redesignedPegasus XL launch vehicle.

TRACE launch October1997

-- Exact date of this launch is dependent uponsuccessful return to flight of the redesignedPegasus XL launch vehicle.

WIRE launch August1998

-- Exact date of this launch is dependent uponsuccessful return to flight of the redesignedPegasus XL launch vehicle

Med-Lite Class Launch Vehicles



Deep Space Ilaunch

July 1998 -- On schedule for launch aboard a Delta 7326launch vehicle.

FUSE launch October1998

-- On schedule for launch aboard a Delta 7320launch vehicle.

Medium Class Launch Vehicles



NEAR launch February1996

February 1996 Launched successfully February 17, 1996,aboard a Delta II launch vehicle.

Polar launch February1996

February 1996 Launched successfully aboard a Delta IIfrom Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB).Launch was initially delayed frommid-1994 to December 1995 due totechnical problems with spacecraft. Asubsequent delay from December 1995 toFebruary 1996 was due to launch manifestconflicts.

Mars GlobalSurveyor launch

November1996

November 1996 Launched successfully aboard a Delta IIlaunch vehicle on November 7, 1996.

Mars Pathfinderlaunch

December1996

December 1996 Launched successfully aboard a Delta IIlaunch vehicle on December 4, 1996.

ACE launch September1997

-- On schedule for launch aboard a Delta-II,D7925

All Other Classes of Launch Vehicles:



Cassini launch October1997

-- Launch aboard a Titan IV/Centaur launchvehicle. On schedule.

AXAF-I launch August1998

-- On schedule for launch aboard STS, withan Inertial Upper Stage.


During FY 1996 five Space Science missions were launched successfully.

The SOHO mission launched aboard an Atlas IIAS on December 02, 1995. The XTE mission launched aboard a Delta II on December 30, 1995. The Polar mission launched aboard a Delta II launch vehicle on February 24, 1996. The NEAR mission launched aboard a Delta II launch vehicle on February 17, 1996. The FAST mission launched aboard a Pegasus XL launch vehicle on August 21, 1996.

As of December 1996, three FY 1997 Space Science missions have already been launched.Another four missions are scheduled for launch in FY 1997. The missions that have launchedare:

The SAC-B/HETE mission was not successfully launched aboard a Pegasus XL onNovember 11, 1996. NASA has an independent team to investigate the causes of thefailure and provide a corrective action plan.

The Mars Global Surveyor launched successfully aboard a Delta-II launch vehicle onNovember 7, 1996. The Mars Pathfinder launched successfully aboard a Delta-II launch vehicle onDecember 4, 1996.

FY 1997-1998 launch services funding will support the following future launches:

Small Explorer missions on small launch vehicles: SWAS (TBD), TRACE (10/97),WIRE (8/98), and SMEX-6 (6/00); Med-Lite launch vehicles: New Millennium Deep Space I (7/98), FUSE Explorer(10/98), IMAGE (11/99) and MAP (11/00) Medium Class Explorers (MidEx),Stardust (2/99), TIMED (1/00) and Discovery-5 (1st Qtr. FY 01); Delta-II launch vehicles: ACE Explorer (9/97), Mars '98 Orbiter (12/98) and Lander(1/99), and Gravity Probe B (GP-B) (10/00) Ultra-light launch vehicles: SNOE (5/97), TERRIER (8/97) and CATSAT (3rd Qtr.

FY 98) Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative (STEDI) missions, and twoUniversity Explorer Class (UNEX) missions (1st Qtr. FY 00, 1st Qtr. FY 01).

Funds are also provided for a Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle for Cassini in support of aplanned launch in October 1997. The majority of these funds in FY 1996-97 are required forlaunch vehicle hardware from Lockheed Martin Corporation (LM) which is being procured forNASA by the United States Air Force (USAF). Funds also support mission integrationactivities at LM which are funded under a contract directly between NASA and LM.

In addition, FY 1997 and FY 1998 funding supports procurement of an Inertial Upper Stage(IUS) for the AXAF mission that will be launched aboard the Shuttle in August 1998.Mission integration requirements for Space Science launch services are also included in thebudget profiles.

Launch of the Lunar Prospector (9/97) is being procured as part of the development contractwith Lockheed Martin Corporation, and is funded in the Discovery budget element, not in theLaunch Services budget. Lunar Prospector is planned for launch on a Lockheed LaunchVehicle-II in September 1997.

Documents

FY 1998 ESTIMATES BUDGET SUMMARY OFFICE OF SPACE … · 1997. 2. 13. · * New Millennium 43,500 48,600 75,700 ... Mission operations and data analysis 563,600 583,300 507,400 Supporting